-^  AjJL  C>JV^A>^<-^ /C^-^o^  V 


Class 


\\^SA 


'A^a| 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

Founded  by  Marshall  Field,  1893 


ANTHROPOLOGY  MEMOIRS 


Volume  I 


Field  Museum-Oxford  University  Joint  Expedition 


Plates,  1  Map 


:!4:>5:^ 


Chicago 

1925-31 


CONTENTS 

I.     Report  on  the  Excavations  of  the  "A"  Cemetery  at  Kish,  Mesopo- 
tamia.   Part  I.    By  Ernest  Mackay 1 

II.    A  Sumerian  Palace  and  the  "A"  Cemetery  at  Kish,  Mesopotamia. 

Part  II.    By  Ernest  Mackay 65 

III.     Report  on  Excavations  at  Jemdet  Nasr,  Iraq.    By  Ernest  Mackay    .   .    217 
Index      295 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


Anthropology,  Memoirs 


Volume  I,  No.  i 


REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A" 
CEMETERY  AT  KISH,  MESOPOTAMIA 


PART  I 


BY 


ERNEST  MACKAY 

WITH  PREFACE  BY  STEPHEN  LANGDON 


20  Plates 


Field  Museum-Oxford  University  Joint  Expedition 


BERTHOLD  LAUFER 
CURATOR  OF  ANTHROPOLOGY 

EDITOR 


Chicago 
1925 


Gn 


CONTENTS 

Page 

List  of  Plates      5 

Preface  by  Stephen  Langdon 7 

I.    The  "A"  Cemetery  at  Ingharra,  Kish  9 

Dimensions  and  Shape  of  Graves " 

Position  of  the  Body 12 

Proportion  of  Sexes ^3 

Preser\'ation  of  Bones ^4 

Pigment  Shells I4 

Rubbing  Stones '5 

Amulets "5 

Glaze 16 

Metals 16 

Minerals 18 

Stone  Vessels      '9 

Unusual  Objects i9 

Tabvilation  of  Objects  Found  in  Graves opp.  20 

n.    Pottery  " 

Handled  Pottery  Type  A 21 

Pottery  Braziers  Type  B     24 

Straight-shouldered  Ware  Type  C 28 

Spouted  Vessels  Type  D      29 

Cup-based  Pottery  Type  E 3° 

Bowls  Type  F 32 

Pans  Type  G      32 

Beakers  Type  H 32 

Jars  with  Holes  for  Suspension  Type  J      32 

Flat-based  Pottery  Type  K 33 

Round  and  Pointed  Base  Pottery  Type  L 34 

Cups  with  Holed  Bases  Type  M 35 

Narrow-mouthed  Ware  Type  N 35 

Simple  Dishes  Type  O      36 

Tabulation  of  Pottery  Types opp.  37 

III.  Tools  and  Weapons  38 

Battle-axes      3^ 

Daggers  and  Knives     4° 

Razors  (?)  and  Adzes 4i 

Chisels 42 

Saw  or  Sickle  Blade 42 

IV.  Household  and  Toilet  Articles  43 

Spindles 43 

Toilet-cases 44 

Hair  Ornaments 44 

Pins  with  Coiled  Heads 45 

Animal-headed  Pins 46 

Simple  Hair-pins 46 

Needles  and  Bodkins 48 

Metal  Bowls  and  Dishes      48 

V.    Personal  Ornaments  5i 

Jewellery 5^ 

Fillets      52 

Ear-rings 52 

Bracelets 53 

Finger-rings 53 

Beads 53 

VI.    Cylinder  Seals  58 


LIST  OF  PLATES 

I.  View  of  "A"  Cemetery  from  Ziggurat  at  Ingharra  and  Pottery. 

II.  Jar  Handles  and  Copper  Implements, 

III.  Copper  Implements,  Inlay,  and  Pigment  Shells. 

IV.  Toilet  Articles  and  Jewellery. 
V.  Burials. 

VI.  Cylinder  Seals. 

VII.  Beads  and  Sketch  Plan  of  Kish. 

VIII.  Burial  Groups. 

IX.  Handled  Pottery. 

X.  Pottery  Type  A. 

XI-XII.  Pottery  Type  B. 

XIII.  Pottery  Type  C. 

XIV.  Pottery  Types  D,  E,  and  F. 
XV.  Pottery  Types  G,  H,  J,  and  K. 

XVI.  Pottery  Types  L,  M,  N,  and  O. 

XVII-XVIII.  Copper  Implements. 

XIX.  Copper  Hair-pins. 

XX.  Copper  Bowls. 


PREFACE 

The  technical  description  of  the  pottety,  metal  and  stone  implements  and 
other  details  of  the  more  material  side  of  the  archaeological  discoveries,  found 
at  Kish  by  the  Field  ]\iusetam-Oxford  University  joint  expedition,  has  been 
assigned  to  the  competent  hands  of  Mr.  Ernest  Mackay,  our  excavator.  Archi- 
tectural plans  of  all  buildings  and  technical  discussion  thereof  are  also  en- 
trusted to  the  excavator,  who  will  furnish  a  volume  on  this  subject  as  soon  as 
the  more  important  buildings  are  completed.  It  is  proposed  that  Field  Museum 
will  undertake  to  publish  all  volumes  on  this  aspect  of  the  expedition.  The 
decipherment  of  inscriptions  and  inscribed  tablets  and  their  publication  will 
be  undertaken  by  the  Department  of  Assyriologj'  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 
A  volume  on  the  history  of  the  famous  city  of  Kish  written  by  myseh"  has 
already  appeared,  under  the  title  "Excavations  at  Kish  in  1922-24"  (  Paris, 
Paul  Geuthner,  1925).  To  this  volume  the  reader  is  referred  for  the  histori- 
cal, religious,  and  cultural  importance  of  the  discoveries  up  to  April,  1924. 
The  cimeiform  texts  will  be  published  in  future  volvunes  of  the  "Oxford  Editions 
of  Ctmeiform  Texts." 

In  the  present  volvime,  Mr.  Mackay  deals  almost  exclusively  with  the 
pottery  and  implements  fotmd  at  the  Sumerian  palace.  The  very  extensive 
collection  of  pottery  found  in  the  tablet  hill,  chiefly  by  me,  and  still  more  nu- 
merous groups  of  the  same  kind  foimd  this  season,  will  be  published  and  de- 
scribed in  a  succeeding  volume.  This  pottery  is  all  from  the  late  period, 
seventh  to  fourth  centuries  B.C.  A  general  description  of  most  of  the  objects 
found  in  connection  with  the  rooms  stored  with  inscribed  tablets  will  be  found 
in  the  volume  referred  to  above. 

WTien  the  complete  description  of  the  archaeological  discoveries  and  archi- 
tectural plans  of  the  great  Sumerian  palace  at  Mound  "A"  shall  have  been 
made  public,  the  importance  of  this  part  of  our  excavations  will  be  found  to  be 
unique  and  unexpectedly  great.  This  building  furnishes  a  perfect  example  of 
early  Sumerian  architectural  design  upon  a  grand  scale.  We  have  unques- 
tionably foimd  the  palace  from  which  the  oldest  and  the  mightiest  dynasties 
of  Sumer  ruled  within  the  changing  limits  of  their  ancient  kingdoms,  from  the 
most  remote  period  of  himian  history  to  the  founding  of  the  empire  of  Agade 
in  the  twenty-eighth  century  B.C.  The  great  outer  court  of  this  palace,  with 
its  wide  sweep  of  alcoved  walls,  fine  flight  of  stairs  and  imposing  row  of  pillars, 
was  exposed  at  the  end  of  last  season.  This  year  a  great  hall  of  pillars  has 
been  excavated  north  of  the  court,  and  a  very  rich  collection  of  copper,  silver 
and  gold  objects  has  been  recovered.  The  remarkable  inlaid  frescoes  of  the 
palace  found  last  season  are  described  in  my  volimie.  We  have,  however, 
at  present  to  deplore  the  failvire  to  find  royal  inscriptions  of  the  long  Une  of 
kings  who  lived  here.  At  the  present  writing,  we  have  no  historical  inscrip- 
tions of  a  Mesilim  or  a  Kug-Bau  to  chronicle,  but  they  are  certainly  to  be 


expected  somewhere  in  the  recesses  of  this  vast  building.  The  material  in  this 
volume  is  confined  entirely  to  the  pre-Sargonic  period,  and  in  itself  illustrates 
some  of  the  most  important  aspects  of  early  Sumerian  and  Semitic  civilizations. 
The  task  of  dealing  technically  with  each  group  of  objects  and  each  period  is 
one  which  imposes  upon  the  direction  of  the  expedition  more  lingering  over 
details  and  tardiness  in  publication  than  the  public  will  be  disposed  to  condone. 
The  field  catalogue,  carefully  prepared  for  every  object  at  the  end  of  each  day's 
work,  now  contains  more  than  4000  cards,  which  cannot  be  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  scholars  until  each  mound  is  completed.  From  many  considerations, 
a  more  satisfactory  series  of  volumes  could  be  published  by  withholding  our 
results  for  many  years,  but  such  procedxire,  although  adopted  by  some  expedi- 
tions, cannot  encourage  excavations  nor  stimulate  the  interests  of  scholarship. 
I  know  the  gratitude  with  which  the  scholars  and  the  public  of  Europe  and 
America  at  large  have  read  of  the  remarkable  discoveries  at  Kish.  For  these 
discoveries  we  are  chiefly  indebted  to  the  loyal  generosity  of  Field  Museimi 
of  Chicago  and  to  Mr.  Herbert  Weld,  of  Queen's  College,  Oxford.  Many  vol- 
umes will  be  required  to  publish  our  results,  the  two  volumes  published  this 
year  by  Mr.  Mackay  and  myself  will,  we  trust,  fully  testify  to  the  importance 
of  the  excavations.  In  1923-24,  the  staff  consisted  of  Mr.  Mackay,  Col.  W. 
H.  Lane,  and  myself.  For  the  present  season.  Father  Eric  Burrows  of  Ox- 
ford has  gone  out  as  Assyriologist  in  place  of  the  director  of  the  expedition, 
and  Mr.  Talbot  Rice  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  has  joined  the  staff.  Mrs. 
Mackay,  a  trained  anthropologist,  has  been  with  her  husband  since  October, 
1923,  and  has  contributed  all  of  the  line-drawings  in  this  volvune. 

STEPHEN  LANGDON, 

Professor  of  Assyriology. 
Jesus  College,  Oxford,  February  22,  1925. 


REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A" 
CEMETERY  AT  KISH,  MESOPOTAMIA 

PART  I 


I.     THE  "A"  CEMETERY  AT  INGHARRA,  KISH 

The  cemeter)^  lettered  "A"  is  situated  south  of  and  close  to  the  vety 
prominent  series  of  mounds  known  to  the  local  Arabs  as  Ingharra  (Plate  VII). 
In  shape  it  is  a  low  and  irregular  moimd,  the  highest  portion  of  which  is  not  un- 
like the  letter  S.  The  top  of  the  mound,  a  large  area  of  which  is  nearly  fiat,  is 
four  metres  above  the  plain  beneath  it  and  4.60  metres  above  the  level  of  the 
cultivation  which  comes  fairly  close  to  its  eastern  and  southern  sides. 

From  a  distance  the  moimd  looks  somewhat  insignificant.  It  is  only 
when  it  is  approached  from  the  north  or  east,  where  its  sides  rise  somewhat 
abruptly,  that  its  importance  is  realized  (Plate  I,  Fig.  i).  Col.  Lane,  when 
prospecting  around  this  part  of  Kish,  was  struck  with  the  great  quantity  of 
broken  potsherds  lying  on  the  mound  as  compared  with  the  small  number  on 
the  surrounding  plain.  He  accordingly  began  a  preliminary  investigation  there 
with  two  gangs  early  in  January,  1924,  and  on  the  second  day  uncovered  a 
burial  which  contained  pottery  of  a  type  not  found  before  in  i^Iesopotamia. 

With  results  so  promising,  work  was  continued  on  this  site  with  a  larger 
number  of  men  until  the  middle  of  March,  1924.  Thirty-eight  graves  were  ex- 
cavated, together  with  the  remains  of  two  important  buildings  dating  from  a 
very  early  period  and  lying  beneath  the  bvuials. 

The  history  of  the  site,  which  awaits  further  excavation,  appears  to  be 
as  follows: — 

First,  we  have  the  remains  of  a  large  building  of  crude  mud  bricks  of  the 
small  "cushion"  type,  averaging  23  x  15  x  3.5  to  5  cm  in  size,  provided  with  a 
fine  stairway  entrance  and  strongly  fortified.  This  building  was  enlarged  at 
a  later  period  by  erecting  an  armex  alongside  and  to  the  south  of  it.  On 
the  eastern  side  of  this  annex  was  a  portico  with  four  large  round  columns 
also  made  of  mud  brick.  The  bricks  used  in  the  construction  of  this  second 
building  average  20.5  x  13  x  3.5  to  5.5  cm.  It  is  hoped  that  it  will  ultimately 
be  possible  to  determine  what  interv^al  of  time  passed  between  the  con- 
struction of  the  first  btiilding  and  the  erection  of  the  second  annex. ^ 

As  is  always  the  case  with  mud  buildings,  the  second  also  soon  fell  into 
decay.  It  was  repaired  by  the  same  or  another  people  with  both  baked  and 
unbaked  bricks,  averaging  24.5  x  17x4  to  5  cm  in  size  and  of  a  fiat  biscuit- 
like shape,  sometimes  impressed  with  one  or  two  thumb-marks,  and  sometimes 
with  none.     That  a  considerable  interval  of  time  elapsed  between  the  erection 

'  These  two  buildings  will  be  described  more  fully  in  a  later  publication. 


lO  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION   OF  THE   "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

of  the  second  building  and  its  restoration  is  proved  by  a  flight  of  steps,  which 
originally  lead  up  to  it,  being  covered  over,  and  a  long  ramp  substituted  owing  to 
the  changed  level  of  the  ground. 

Once  more  the  site  became  derelict  and  was  used  as  a  rubbish  heap,  a 
cemetery,  and  a  play-ground  for  children.  Evidence  of  the  latter  is  afforded 
by  a  number  of  broken  clay  toys  being  found  scattered  about.  Later,  this 
ground  was  used  for  some  unimportant  buildings  just  prior  to  the  period  of 
Hammurabi  (2067-24  B.C.).  Then  it  was  again  abandoned  until  the  Graeco- 
Parthian  period,  to  which  a  tomb  containing  multiple  burials  belonged. 

In  our  present  state  of  knowledge,  the  small  "cushion"  type  of  plano-con- 
vex brick  is  said  to  date  from  an  indefinite  period  before  3100  B.C.,  meaning 
that  though  this  style  of  brick  ceased  to  be  used  at  about  the  latter  date,  we 
know  nothing  of  the  period  at  which  it  was  first  used  in  Mesopotamia.  The 
"biscuit"  type  of  brick,  so  called  from  its  much  flatter  shape,  is  thought  to 
date  from  3100  B.C.  to  about  2900  B.C.  It  is  to  this  period  that  we  have  to 
assign  the  burials  found  in  the  "A"  mound. 

Two  graves  (Nos.  13  and  15)  were  found  upon  platforms  of  the  biscuit 
type  of  brick,  which  averaged  23  x  14. 5  x  3  to  4.5  cm  and  24  x  16  x  4  to  5 
cm  in  size,  respectively.  These  burials,  therefore,  belong  either  to  the  same 
period  as  the  brick  platforms,  or  to  a  somewhat  later  time.  The  graves  can- 
not date  from  so  early  as  3500  B.C.,  because  they  were  made  when  the  build- 
ing on  which  they  rested  was  in  an  advanced  state  of  decay.  Nor  can  their 
date  very  well  be  later  than  2900  B.C.,  because  one  of  the  bodies  was  lying  on 
a  specially  constructed,  burnt-brick  platform  whose  sides  were  coated  with 
bitumen.  The  archaic  character  of  some  of  the  objects  found  in  this  cemetery, 
especially  of  the  weapons,  would  also  militate  against  their  belonging  to  a  late 
period.  Col.  Lane  and  I  would,  therefore,  date  the  burials  about  to  be  de- 
scribed at  about  3000  B.C.,  a  date  which  allows  time  for  the  decay  of  the 
"cushion"  and  "biscuit"  type  of  plano-convex  brick  buildings  which  lie  beneath 
them.* 

As  stated  above,  thirty-eight  graves  were  excavated  in  the  "A"  ceme- 
tery, and  it  is  probable  that  during  next  season's  work  many  more  will  come 
to  light.  In  view,  however,  of  the  importance  of  the  burials  cleared  this  year, 
containing,  as  they  do,  entirely  new  types  of  pottery  and  other  articles,  it  has 
been  thought  advisable  to  publish  an  account  of  them  as  soon  as  possible,  so 
that  the  material  may  be  available  to  those  who  want  it.  At  the  time  of 
writing,  except  for  the  discoveries  at  Fara  in  Lower  Mesopotamia,  which  was 
partially  cleared  by  the  Germans  in  1902,  and  the  excavations  by  the  British 
Musetun  and  Philadelphia  at  Tell'Obeid  in  the  season  1923-24,  we  know  prac- 
tically nothing  of  the  burial  customs  and  of  the  objects  placed  with  the  dead  in 
the  early  periods  of  Mesopotamian  history. 


'  Allowance  has  to  be  made  for  the  destruction  of  buildings  by  enemy  action.  Large  and  important  build- 
ings such  as  those  in  the  "A"  mound  would  probably  be  badly  wrecked  in  a  raid;  and  there  were  many  raids 
against  Kish. 


THE   "A"  CEMETERY  AT  INGHARRA,   KISH  1 1 

DIMENSIONS  AND  SHAPE  OF  GRAVES 

All  the  graves  were  simple  holes  of  just  sufficient  size  to  take  the  body 
and  funeral  furniture.  Owang  to  the  very  compact  nattire  of  the  soil,  due  to 
damp  and  salt,  it  was  found  impossible  to  distinguish  between  the  filling  of 
a  grave  and  its  surrounding  walls.  For  this  reason,  the  exact  dimensions 
of  the  graves  could  not  be  ascertained,  except  in  four  cases  to  be  described 
below. 

Grave  5  v.-as  cut  down  through  a  plano-convex  pavement  of  the  biscuit  type 
of  brick,  and  its  dimensions  were  as  follows:  160-180  cm  long,  no  cm  wide 
and  65  cm  deep   (Plate  V). 

In  grave  10,  which  contained  the  skeleton  of  a  small  child,  a  rough  pav- 
ing, one  brick  thick,  had  been  made  of  plano-convex  bricks  of  both  cushion 
and  biscuit  type.'  To  further  protect  the  remains,  this  grave  was  also  roughly 
lined  with  bricks  laid  on  their  edges. 

An  even  more  elaborate  flooring  was  constructed  for  grave  13.  It  was 
made  of  biscuit  bricks,  averaging  23  x  14. 5  x  3  to  4.5  cm  in  size.  It  measured 
1.50  metres  in  length  by  one  metre  in  width,  and  was  one  brick  thick.  Whole 
bricks  were  used  for  the  outer  portion  and  broken  ones  in  the  middle,  the  whole 
being  bound  together  by  mud  mortar. 

In  another  grave  (No.  15),  there  was  a  similar  floor,  2  metres  long  by  1.17 
metres  wide  and  one  brick  thick,  but  it  was  much  better  finished  off  with  a 
coating  of  bitumen  i  cm  thick.  The  biscuit  bricks  employed  were  of  two  sizes, 
measvuing  22  x  14.5  x  4  to  5  cm  and  24  x  16  x  4  to  5  cm,  respectively.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  floors  of  graves  10,  13,  and  15  were  especially  constructed 
and  that  they  were  not  remains  of  early  buildings. 

Grave  23  was  found  on  the  top  of  a  burnt-brick  wall  made  of  the  biscuit 
type  of  plano-convex  brick.  But  the  people  who  dug  the  grave  must  have 
come  upon  this  wall  by  accident  and  utilized  it  as  a  floor. 

These  paved  graves  in  conjunction  with  burial  5  justify  us  in  conclud- 
ing that  all  the  graves  in  the  "A"  cemetery  were  simple  rectangular  holes. 
No  sort  of  coffin  was  provided  for  the  additional  protection  of  the  body,  ex- 
cept the  rush  or  reed  covering  found  in  burials  21  and  27. 

It  would  seem  that  graves  were  dug  to  no  particular  depth.  The  average 
depth  was  about  1.50  metres.  The  deepest  grave  (No.  28)  was  2.93  metres 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  but  that  this  unusual  depth  was  not  in- 
tended for  the  protection  of  the  objects  buried  is  proved  by  the  burial  being 
but  poorly  equipped.  Without  further  data  we  have  no  means  of  estimating 
the  exact  amount  of  denudation  that  has  taken  place  above  each  grave.  It  is, 
however,  hardly  likely  to  have  been  excessive  owing  to  the  consolidation  of 
the  soil. 

As  none  of  the  workmen  could  tell  when  they  were  coming  to  a  grave, 
the  rule  was  made  that  when  pottery  was  met  with,  they  were  to  clear  to  the 


'  The  cushion  bricks  were  borrowed  from  other  parts  of  the  site  and  were,  of  course,  of  earlier  date  than 
the  biscuit  bricks. 


12  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

same  level  some  distance  around.  Col.  Lane  or  myself  then  completed  the 
excavation  of  the  burial  with  a  small  knife.  After  a  little  training,  we  were 
able  to  allow  one  tribesman,  by  the  name  of  Omran  Mazuk,  to  clear  graves  as 
far  down  as  the  bones,  leaving  us  the  task  of  removing  the  objects  and  record- 
ing them.  The  fact  that  the  large  handled  and  brazier  types  of  pottery  were 
in  most  cases  found  in  an  upright  position  greatly  assisted  the  location  of 
graves  without  damage  to  their  contents. 

POSITION  OF  THE  BODY 

Of  the  thirty-eight  graves  recorded,  twenty-four  contained  skeletons  suf- 
ficiently preserved  for  their  exact  position  to  be  noted  (graves  5,  7-10,  12,  13,  15, 
17-21,  23-28,  30-33,  25)-  Six  of  these  skeletons  were  found  with  their  heads 
to  the  south,  or  as  close  to  it  as  possible  (graves  9,  13,  20,  21,  23,  26).  In 
four  cases,  the  head  was  to  the  north  or  N.N.E.  (graves  12,  17,  30,  35),  and 
in  six,  to  the  west  or  W.S.W.  (graves  15,  18,  19,  24,  25,  ^S)-  Three  of  the 
remaining  burials  were  orientated  to  the  N.W.  (graves  10,  27,  28),  and  five 
to  the  S.W.  (graves  5,  7,  8,  31,  32).  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  no  particu- 
lar care  was  taken  as  to  the  direction  in  which  the  head  lay. 

The  same  disregard  was  paid  to  the  side  on  which  the  body  was  placed; 
fifteen  skeletons  lay  on  the  left  side  and  nine  on  the  right.*  This  absence  of 
any  rule  as  to  the  orientation  and  position  of  the  body  implies  that  the  rela- 
tives of  the  deceased  had  no  idea  in  their  minds  of  any  particular  direction 
in  which  the  soul  of  the  dead  man  was  going.  This  is  quite  at  variance  with 
the  general  practice  and  beliefs  of  early  civilizations. 

The  position  of  the  head  in  burial  23  was  most  unusual.  The  skull  was 
found  upright  and  looking  directly  to  the  east,  though  the  body  itself  was  on 
its  left  side  facing  to  the  north.  This  peculiar  position  is  quite  possible  with- 
out severance  of  the  head;  it  was  probably  due  to  the  body  being  placed  too 
far  along  in  the  grave  so  that  the  head  was  propped  up  against  the  end. 

The  suggestion  has  been  made  in  more  than  one  quarter  that  the  people 
who  founded  the  first  Egyptian  dynasty  originally  came  from  Mesopotamia 
and  that  they  introduced  the  change  that  took  place  at  that  period  in  the 
orientation  of  the  dead.  The  variation  in  position  found  in  the  graves  of  the 
"A"  cemetery  would  tend  to  disprove  this  theory.  Although  the  first  dynasty 
of  Egypt  is  of  considerably  earlier  date  than  this  cemetery,  yet  the  rigid  cus- 
toms of  that  dynasty  with  regard  to  the  orientation  of  the  body  persisted 
down  to  the  twelfth  dynasty,  or  even  later;  that  is,  to  a  period  later  than  the 
date  of  the  "A"  cemetery  at  Kish.^ 

The  lower  limbs  in  most  of  the  graves  were  in  a  semi-contracted  posi- 
tion, the  knees  rarely  being  above  the  level  of  the  pelvis.  The  legs  in  most 
cases  were  in  a  straggling  attitude ;  no  attempt  was  made  to  arrange  them  after 


'  Right  side:   graves  7,  8,  15,  18,  25,  27,  28,  32  and  35.    In  the  oldest  burials  at  Shuruppak,  the  bodies 
were  laid  on  their  right  sides. 

*  It  might,  of  course,  be  argued  that  the  people  who  entered  Egypt  were  not  of  the  same  race  as  the  people 
who  were  buried  in  the  "  A"  cemetery,  but  this  is  improbable. 


THE  "A"  CEMETERY  AT  INGHARRA,  KISH  I3 

the  body  was  placed  in  the  grave.  The  body  in  grave  15  was  almost  com- 
pletely extended,  the  arms  alone  being  contracted.  Not  a  single  body  was 
found  in  the  crouched  position  so  common  in  the  earliest  graves  of  Egypt. 

The  hands  were  generally  placed  in  front  of  the  face  with  a  copper  bowl 
or  small  pottery  jar  or  dish  between  them  as  if  for  the  dead  man  to  drink. ^ 
In  graves  27,  32,  and  23j  the  right  or  the  left  hand  was  used  as  a  pillow,  for 
which  purpose  a  brazier  was  used  in  grave  19  (Plate  V).^  In  burial  21  the 
head  was  placed  upon  the  mouth  of  an  upright  jar  with  the  result  that  the 
under  portion  of  the  skull  was  crushed  for  want  of  adequate  support. 

No  remains  of  clothing  were  fotmd,  although  careful  search  was  made. 
The  dampness  of  the  soil  would  speedily  have  destroyed  linen  and  leather. 
We  know,  however,  that  clothing  did  once  cover  the  bodies  in  the  graves  from 
the  fact  that  the  round  silver  ornaments  fotmd  in  five  of  the  burials  were 
perforated  with  small  holes  to  facilitate  sewing  them  on  to  a  garment  of  some 
kind  (graves  lo,  i6,  21,  23,  32.    Plate  IV,  18,  20-23). 

In  two  burials  (Nos.  21  and  27),  a  few  small  fragments  of  coarse  reed  or 
rush  matting  were  fotand  which  looked  as  if  the  bodies  had  been  covered  by 
or  wrapped  in  this  material.    They  were  in  a  very  poor  state  of  preservation. 

One  burial  only  was  found  in  a  pottery  urn  (grave  36),  that  of  a  small 
child  in  a  very  crouched  position,  necessitated  by  the  comparatively  small  size 
of  the  vessel.  From  the  three  pieces  of  pottery  placed  beside  the  urn,  we 
must  conclude  that  this  burial  is  of  the  same  period  as  the  others  under  dis- 
cussion. 

PROPORTION  OF  SEXES 

Out  of  the  thirty-eight  graves  excavated,  four  were  those  of  children  (Nos. 
3,  10,  18,  36).  In  graves  16  and  34,  there  were  double  burials, — a  man  and 
a  woman  in  each  case,  as  proved  by  the  objects  buried  with  them.  In  every 
bvuial  foimd,  the  pelvis  was  in  too  bad  a  state  of  preservation  to  give  any  in- 
dication of  the  sex. 

Nine  graves  (Nos.  2,  5,  11,  14,  16,  20,  28,  ^3^  34)  contained  bodies  which 
must  have  been  of  the  male  sex,  for  they  were  accompanied  by  such  mascu- 
line equipment  as  battle-axes,  daggers  and  adzes.  Articles  for  feminine  use, 
such  as  spindles,  needles,  toilet  cases,  hair-pins,  bracelets,  etc.,  were  found  in 
sixteen  graves  (Nos.  4,  8,  9,  12,  13,  15,  16,  19,  21,  23,  24,  25,  27,  30,  32,  34). 
In  fact,  the  only  indication  that  the  occupant  of  grave  15  was  a  woman  was 
that  no  less  than  three  hair-pins  were  found  with  the  body. 

In  eleven  graves  it  was  impossible  to  determine  the  sex  of  the  occu- 
pants owing  to  the  lack  of  funeral  equipment  in  addition  to  the  decayed  state 
of  the  pelvis  (Nos.  i,  6,  7,  17,  22,  26,  29,  31,  35,  37,  38).  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  out  of  a  total  of  thirty-four  graves,  the  foior  child-burials  being  excluded, 
there  were  nine  definitely  of  the  male  sex  and  sixteen  female.    This  proportion 


•  Graves  5,  21,  23,  25,  30,  etc.  (Plates  V  and  VIII).   The  same  thing  was  observed  in  the  graves  at  Para. 

*  The  use  of  a  hand  as  a  pillow  was  also  observed  in  the  Shuruppak  (Fara)  cemetery. 


14  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OP  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KTSH 

of  male  to  female  is  about  the  same  as  in  the  country  districts  of  Iraq  at  the 
present  day. 

PRESERVATION  OF  BONES 

We  were  fortunate  in  finding  five  skulls  in  a  sufficiently  good  state  of  pre- 
servation to  permit  of  their  being  embedded  in  wax  and  sent  to  Oxford  for 
proper  examination.  As  might  be  expected,  but  few  skulls  had  withstood 
the  heavy  pressure  of  the  earth  with  which  they  were  covered.  Even  whole 
specimens  could  not  be  lifted  without  their  crumbling,  and  Col.  Lane  and  I 
found  the  only  procedure  possible  was  to  bare  the  skull  a  few  inches  at  a  time, 
treating  each  successive  portion  with  hot  wax.  As  all  the  bones  were  very 
damp,  the  wax  had  to  be  heated  to  a  high  temperature  to  make  it  penetrate 
the  substance  of  the  bone.  The  skulls  sent  to  Oxford  came  from  graves  20, 
21,  23,  28,  and  31, 

We  were  not  so  successful  in  preserving  the  other  bones.  They  were 
always  in  a  most  deplorable  condition  and  broke  up  even  if  they  were  blown 
upon.  On  this  account,  it  was  sometimes  difficult  even  to  determine  the 
position  of  the  body.  In  some  cases  it  cotild  only  be  done  by  tracing  the 
lines  of  gray  in  the  soil  which  were  all  that  was  left  of  the  bones.  Occasion- 
ally it  was  only  possible  to  determine  the  direction  in  which  the  head  was 
looking  by  the  position  of  the  teeth;  and  even  these  were  sometimes  in  a 
very  crumbled  condition.  This  work  had  all  to  be  done  by  ourselves,  as  we 
had  no  trained  diggers  on  whom  we  could  depend. 

PIGMENT  SHELLS 

In  most  of  the  graves  there  were  one  or  more  small  shells  containing  pig- 
ment. These  shells  were  invariably  a  species  of  Cardium,  averaging  about 
48  mm  from  the  hinge  to  the  edge.  The  two  valves  were  usually  found 
together.  As  a  general  rule,  they  were  foimd  with  female  bodies,  but  occa- 
sionally they  were  found  with  male  bodies  (Nos.  <;,  11,  20,  23>  ^tc,  cf.  Plate 
III,  No.  8). 

The  pigments  in  these  shells  are  white,  light-green,  blue,  red,  and  black, 
of  which  the  last  color  is  the  most  common.  From  the  appearance  of  the 
pigment  in  some  of  the  shells,  it  must  be  concluded  that  it  was  smeared  on 
the  face  with  the  finger,  but  sometimes  a  brush  seems  to  have  been  used. 
Some  of  these  pigment  shells  were  evidently  prepared  solely  for  funeral  equip- 
ment, as  the  small  quantity  of  color  in  each  shows  no  signs  of  ever  having  been 
disturbed.  This  is  particularly  noticeable  in  the  case  of  a  shell  found  in  grave 
15,  which  contains  an  untouched  dab  of  green  paint  placed  on  the  remains  of 
some  black  paint  already  there. 

In  graves  8,  11,  and  24,  there  were  clean  shells  in  addition  to  those  con- 
taining pigment.  The  colors  found,  arranged  in  order  of  frequency,  are: 
black  17  times,  red  5,  green  5,  white  3,  and  blue  i.    In  none  of  the  burials  was 


THE  "A"  CEMETERY  AT  INGHARRA,  KISH  I5 

a  complete  set  of  pigments  fovmd;  there  were  never  more  than  two  in  the 
same  grave. ^ 

The  black  paint  is  probably  kohl,  sulphide  of  antimony.  The  red  is  an 
oxide  of  iron.  The  green,  which  is  of  an  apple-green  shade,  suggests  mala- 
chite; but,  whatever  material  it  is,  it  appears  to  have  been  mixed  with  a  white 
substance.^ 

These  three  colors  are  very  similar  to  those  found  in  predynastic  graves 
in  Egypt.  They  were  probably  used  for  the  same  purpose.  The  black  pig- 
ment, which  is  in  the  form  of  a  fine  powder,  was  used  for  the  eyes;  the  green, 
possibly  for  the  same  ptu-pose.*  The  red  pigment  may  possibly  have  been 
employed  for  face  ornamentation  as  at  the  present  day.'*  It  seems  to  have 
been  prepared  with  some  kind  of  grease.*  The  blue  pigment  is  turquois  in 
color,  but  its  composition  is  uncertain.  The  shells  themselves  probably  came 
from  the  Persian  Gulf  or  Indian  Ocean.  Nearly  a  third  of  the  known  species 
of  Cardiadae.  in  number  nearly  200,  come  from  Indian  waters.  Most  of  the 
species  are  edible,  and  these  shell-fish  were  doubtless  a  favorite  diet  with 
the  people  buried  in  the  "A"  cemetery.  Numbers  of  shells  of  fresh-water 
mussels  also  have  been  found  scattered  about  on  the  site  of  Kish.  The  posi- 
tion in  which  these  pigment  shells  lie  in  a  grave  varies  considerably.  They 
have  been  found  by  the  feet,  near  the  middle  of  the  body  and  close  to  the 
head,  and  they  were  very  often  put  inside  the  pottery. 

RUBBING  STONES 

Small  pieces  of  sandstone,  which  owing  to  the  action  of  salt  are  now 
always  in  an  extremely  friable  state  and  even  powdery,  were  often  placed 
in  the  graves.  They  are  always  irregular  in  form  and  range  from  the  size  of  a 
walnut  to  pieces  measiuing  30  x  1 5  cm.  They  are  found  in  burials  of  both 
sexes  and  were  probably  used  for  rubbing.  It  is  quite  common  in  the  East  at 
the  present  day  to  see  people  of  the  poorer  classes,  of  both  sexes,  and  even 
children,  rubbing  the  soles  of  their  feet  with  pumice  or  sandstone  to  remove 
the  hard  skin,  which  if  left  is  apt  to  crack  and  become  sore.  These  rubbers 
were  placed  just  anywhere  in  the  graves  (5,  9,  11,  15,  17,  18,  21,  ;^2<  etc.). 

AMULETS 

Only  one  amulet  has  been  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery  vip  to  the  present; 
in  grave  8  which  contained  the  skeleton  of  a  young  female.  It  is  69  mm  long, 
27  mm  wide,  21  mm  thick,  and  is  rectangular  in  shape  with  rounded  edges. 
A  hole  for  a  cord  had  been  bored  through  it  near  the  top,  both  sides  of  the 


'  Excepting  grave  24,  in  which  there  were  no  less  than  four  shells,  two  containing  a  black  powder,  one  a 
white  paste,  and  the  fourth  nothing. 

2  In  graves  20,  24,  and  32  shells  were  found  containing  a  pasty  white  substance.  This  substance  has  a  barely 
noticeable  tinge  of  green  in  some  places,  which  suggests  that  the  original  color  has  disappeared. 

3  It  has  been  suggested  that  green  was  used  in  ancient  Egypt  to  protect  the  eyes  from  the  glare  of  the  sun 
in  the  same  way  that  Eskimos  apply  it  beneath  the  eyes  to  prevent  snow-blindness. 

<  Similar  pigments  were  found  in  the  Para  cemetery,  but  usually  in  small  stone  dishes. 
5  It  was  found  in  burials  13,  23,  30,  and  32,  all  of  which  were  female. 


1 6  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

stone  being  roughly  flattened  in  this  region  to  faciUtate  the  operation.  At  first 
it  was  thought  that  the  amulet  was  a  hone,  but  the  brown  limestone  of  which  it 
is  made  is  far  too  soft  for  such  a  purpose.  Similar  objects  have  been  found  in 
other  parts  of  Kish,  principally  on  the  site  of  the  plano-convex  building  about 
half  a  mile  N.N.W.  of  the  "A"  cemetery.^  As  this  amulet  was  found  close  to 
the  neck,  it  was  probably  worn  on  a  string  of  beads  (Plate  I,  No.  6). 

One  of  the  beads  on  a  string  around  the  neck  in  burial  i6  is  carved  in  the 
shape  of  a  frog  (Plate  IV,  No.  26).  It  is  of  lapis  lazuli,  and  is  of  quite  good 
workmanship.  As  it  is  the  only  bead  of  its  kind  on  the  necklace,  it  is  possible 
that  it  also  was  worn  as  an  amulet. 

The  suggested  use  as  amulets  of  the  silver  medallions  with  raised  central 
bosses  which  are  described  in  the  section  on  the  jewellery  is  doubtful.  They 
were  probably  intended  simply  for  ornamentation,  and  have  no  other  significance. 

GLAZE 

The  use  of  glaze  for  cylinder-seals,  beads,  and  other  small  objects  was 
known  in  the  period  of  the  "A"  cemetery.  It  was  applied  to  pottery,  as  shown 
in  Plate  XVIII,  No.  20,  or  to  beads  and  other  objects  made  of  a  white  porous 
paste,  a  very  similar  composition  to  that  used  in  ancient  Egypt  (Plate  XVIII, 
No.  21). 

It  is  usuall}^  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation,  but  its  original  color,  prob- 
ably a  deep  blue,  has  been  destroyed  by  the  action  of  salt.  All  the  glaze  that 
has  been  found  so  far  is  quite  white,  or  else  tinged  in  places  with  a  faint 
apple-green.  The  composition  of  which  the  glazed  articles  were  made  is  now 
practically  only  held  together  by  the  glaze,  so  that  all  these  objects  are  ex- 
tremely fragile. 

The  technique  of  this  work  was  very  good.  The  glazes  are  even  and  well 
fired,  and  they  have  penetrated  well  into  the  material  to  which  they  were  ap- 
plied. Their  surfaces,  moreover,  show  very  little  pitting  or  porosity  due  to 
over-firing. 

In  our  present  state  of  knowledge,  it  is  impossible  to  say  at  what  period 
the  art  of  glazing  was  introduced  into  Sumer.  Some  of  the  glazed  cylin- 
drical beads  very  closely  resemble  those  of  Egypt.  They  may  have  been  in- 
troduced from  that  country  via  Syria  in  very  early  times. ^  But  the  fact  that 
the  number  of  examples  of  glazed  work  foiuid  in  the  "A"  cemetery  is  com- 
paratively small  shows  that  the  art  was  not  yet  extensively  practised  at  that 
period.  In  graves  4,  12,  20,  and  32,  glazed  beads  were  found  which  have 
turned  quite  brown.  They  must  originally  have  been  some  other  color  than 
the  usual  deep  blue  (Plate  IV,  Nos.  31,  23)' 

METALS 

The  "A"  cemetery  was  very  rich  in  copper  implements  and  tools,  some 
of  which  are  quite  new  to  us.    They  are  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation, 

'  See  site  marked  as  N  on  sketch-map  in  Plate  VII. 

2  The  glazed  beads  were  either  cylindrical  or  of  the  shape  shown  in  Plate  VII,  No.  1 2. 


THE  "A"  CEMETERY  AT  INGHARRA,  KISH  1 7 

especially  those  from  the  graves  that  had  not  been  disturbed.  That  this  should 
be  so  despite  the  fact  that  the  soil  is  very  salty  implies  that  the  metallurgy 
of  the  period  was  of  a  high  order  and  that  the  copper  used  was  very  pure. 

The  fact  that  copper  was  well  known  to  the  Sumerians  in  very  ancient  times 
is  proved  by  its  being  found  in  great  quantities  in  the  earliest  sites.  The  region 
from  which  it  was  brought  is  still  a  matter  of  surmise.  The  question  cannot  be 
settled  until  exhaustive  examination  has  been  made  of  samples  of  tools  and 
implements  of  the  various  Sumerian  and  Babylonian  periods  and  also  from 
the  various  mines  which  may  have  been  used  in  those  days.  Sinai  was  the 
principal  source  from  which  the  ancient  Egj^ptians  obtained  copper,  and  the 
early  inhabitants  of  Mesopotamia  may  also  have  obtained  it  from  there.  Cop- 
per was  worked  in  Sinai  as  early  as  the  first  dynasty  of  Egypt  and  still  earlier 
by  the  Semites  dwelling  there. 

A  place  called  Kimash,  which  has  been  located  in  the  Zagros  range,  is 
mentioned  by  a  priest-king  of  Lagash  in  an  inscription  as  early  as  2600  B.C. : 
"From  Kimash  I  got  copper,  and  from  the  mountains  of  Meluhha  I  got  iron 
and  gold." 

Besides  these  sources,  there  are  other  probable  places  near  to  Kish.  In 
the  upper  parts  of  the  Tigris  valley  near  Pontus  there  are  said  to  be  several 
old  copper  mines,  and  another  ancient  mine  exists  near  Arghana-Maden  in 
Kurdistan.  This  last  mine  was  exceptionally  rich.  It  was  worked  by  the  Ger- 
mans during  the  war.  The  earlier  workings  have  now  been  destroyed,  but 
that  it  was  known  to  the  ancients  is  proved  by  a  stele  of  Naram-Sin  being 
found  in  the  vicinity.  Lt.-Col.  Sykes  mentions  a  copper  mine  behind  Sabza- 
war  in  Persia  which  is  being  worked  at  the  present  day.'  Cyprus  also  gave  cop- 
per to  the  ancient  world;  these  mines  date  back  to  an  early  period. 

That  lead  was  also  known  in  Sumerian  times  is  evident  from  two  ves- 
sels of  that  metal  being  found  in  the  cemetery  (Plate  XX,  No.  2).  Melted 
fragments  were  found  in  several  parts  of  Kish  in  buildings  of  the  earlier  type 
of  plano-convex  brick. 

This  metal  is  mined  in  Persia  at  the  present  day,  where  it  occurs  in  the 
form  of  galena,  a  compound  of  lead  and  sulphur.  The  process  of  extracting 
the  pure  metal  from  galena  is  a  very  simple  one;  the  galena  is  roasted  until 
the  sulphur  is  burned  away.  Another  source  from  which  the  Sumerians  may 
possibly  have  obtained  their  lead  is  the  mines  between  the  Red  Sea  and 
the  Nile;  but  that  it  came  from  Persia  is  much  more  probable. 

Comparatively  few  silver  objects  were  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery.  They 
include  the  thin  silver  handle  of  a  dagger  and  various  objects  of  jewellery 
(Plates  III,  No.  4  and  XVII,  No.  9).  Silver  was  always  a  rare  metal  in  the  an- 
cient world;  in  some  countries  it  was  even  regarded  as  equal  to  gold  in  value. 
The  reason  for  its  being  rare  in  the  past  was  that  it  is  so  seldom  found  in  its 
native  state. ^      In  Persia,  as  far  as  is  known  at  present,  it  only  occurs  in 


'  p.  M.  Sykes,  History  of  Persia,  Vol.  I,  p.  37. 

'  Del  Mar,  History  of  Precious  Metals,  Chap.  XXX. 


I  8  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

lead  in  a  small  proportion  up  to  not  more  than  one  per  cent.'  The  process 
of  extracting  silver  from  lead  is  far  simpler  than  its  extraction  from  its  ores ;  it 
consists  merely  in  bixming  away  the  lead  and  recovering  the  silver  from  the 
residue.  We  have  proof  that  silver  vi^as  thus  manufactured  in  Elam  from  a 
letter  to  a  certain  Enetarzi,  a  ruler  after  the  first  dynasty  of  Lagash  (about 
2800  B.C.),  who  says  that  this  metal  formed  part  of  some  booty  taken  from 
that  country.  Whether  this  booty  was  in  the  form  of  bullion  or  of  silver  ves- 
sels is  not  mentioned  (cf.  Revue  d'Assyriologie,  Vol.  VI,  p.  142). 

Not  a  single  gold  article,  nor  any  trace  of  gold,  was  found  in  any  of  the 
graves  of  the  "A"  cemetery,  though  we  know  it  was  known  in  a  still  earlier 
period.  But,  as  many  of  the  graves  had  been  disturbed  anciently,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  articles  of  this  metal  had  been  stolen.  Several  fine  gold  objects 
were  found  during  the  season  1924-25  in  the  same  stratum. 

MINERALS 

The  stones  most  favored  by  the  Sumerians  for  beads  and  other  ornaments 
were  lapis  lazuli  and  camelian. 

The  lapis  lazuli  was  probably  brought  from  Persia,  in  which  country  it 
is  plentiful.  That  recovered  from  the  "A"  cemetery  is  either  a  dark  or  medium 
blue  with  no  pyrites  in  it.^ 

The  source  of  the  camelian  is  difficult  to  trace.  It  could  have  come  either 
from  Arabia,  where  it  is  common,  or  from  the  stony  river  beds  to  the  north. 
Its  color  is  in  most  cases  a  clear  bright  red,  which  may  have  been  natural  or 
the  result  of  special  treatment,  such  as  roasting,  which  is  practised  in  India 
at  the  present  day. 

The  Sumerians  seem  to  have  found  some  difficulty  in  working  lapis  lazuli. 
In  most  cases  it  is  merely  rubbed  down  and  not  polished.*  Very  few  of  the 
lapis-lazuli  beads  are  perfect  in  shape,  and  their  surfaces  show  a  certain 
amotmt  of  unintentional  facetting.  Lapis  lazuli  is  not  so  hard  a  stone  as 
camelian,  yet  articles  made  of  the  latter  material  are  well  shaped  and  beauti- 
fully polished.  The  two  kinds  of  stone  do  not  seem  to  have  been  worked 
by  the  same  people,  and  it  is  possible  that  articles  of  one  or  the  other  stone 
were  not  manufactured  in  Sumer,  but  were  imported  ready  made.  If  so, 
the  objects  made  of  lapis  lazuli  were  probably  those  manufactured  at  home, 
while  the  camelian  beads  came  from  outside,  either  from  Egypt,  whose  people 
seem  to  have  been  very  skillful  at  this  work,  or  else  from  a  third  country 
that  supplied  both  Egypt  and  Sumer. 

Haematite  is  rare  in  the  "A"  cemetery.  Its  use  is  confined  to  two  cyl- 
inder seals  (Plate  VI,  Nos.  2  and  9)  and  one  small  bead  from  burial  21.     The 

'  The  traveller  Tavernier,  who  visited  Persia  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  mentions  the  silver 
mines  of  Kerven. 

2  Dii  Morgan  (M^moires  sur  la  Delegation  en  Perse,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  53)  states  that  lapis  lazuli  was  origin- 
ally worked  near  Kashan,  but  that  the  site  of  the  mine  is  unknown.  Mount  Bilki,  which  according  to  an  Assyrian 
record  was  a  mountain  of  lapis  lazuli,  may  perhaps  be  identified  with  Mount  Demavand  which  is  not  far  distant 
from  Kashan.   P.  M.  Sykes,  History  of  Persia,  Vol.  I,  p.  36. 

'  Lapis  lazuli  is,  of  course,  capable  of  taking  a  high  degree  of  polish. 


THE  "A"  CEMETERY  AT  INGHARRA,  KISH  I  9 

scarcity  of  this  substance  in  the  graves  is  probably  due  to  the  difficulty  of 
obtaining  the  ore,  and  not  to  any  difficulty  in  working  it,  as  it  is  not  particu- 
larly hard. 

Two  stones  very  rarely  found  are  jasper  and  rock-crystal.  They  only 
occurred  in  two  graves  (Nos.  27  and  23,  respectively)  in  the  form  of  beads. 
Calcite  was  much  used  in  making  cylinder  seals  (Plate  VI,  No.  4)  and  beads 
and  to  ornament  hairpins,  for  it  is  soft  enough  to  be  very  easily  worked. 
It  was  found  in  the  country  itself,  there  being  a  plentiful  supply  in  the  west- 
em  desert.  Limestone  was  used  to  make  four  cylinder  seals  (Plate  VI,  Nos.  i, 
16)  and  a  few  beads.  The  kind  of  stone  employed  was  fairly  hard,  either  gray 
or  dark  brown  in  color,  and  capable  of  taking  a  dull  polish.  It  does  not  seem 
from  its  rarity  to  have  been  a  popular  stone  for  personal  ornaments.  It  could 
have  been  brought  from  any  of  the  countries  bordering  Sumer. 

A  bituminous  limestone  was  used  in  making  a  cylinder  seal  found  in  grave 
12  (Plate  VI,  No.  19).  This  material,  as  is  also  shown  by  the  remains  of  a 
carved  bowl  found  at  a  lower  level  than  the  graves,  withstands  the  action  of 
salt  and  time  very  well.  One  wishes  that  it  had  been  more  extensively  em- 
ployed. 

The  frequent  use  of  bitmnerii  especially  in  building,  shows  that  this  mate- 
rial was  as  easily  obtained  in  the  period  to  which  this  cemetery  belongs  as  in 
later  times.  It  must  have  been  brought  down  the  Euphrates  from  Hit,  where 
it  is  still  collected  in  a  small  way  from  the  bitumen  pools. 

A  bead  made  of  serpentine  was  found  in  grave  15.  It  was  the  only  object 
made  of  this  kind  that  has  been  discovered  in  the  cemetery. 

STONE  VESSELS 

No  stone  vessels  were  found  in  the  graves  of  the  "A"  cemetery,  though 
broken  fragments  occurred  on  the  same  site  at  various  levels,  which  will  be 
dealt  with  in  a  later  publication.  A  possible  reason  for  the  absence  of  objects 
of  this  nature  is  that  they  were  perhaps  considered  too  valuable  to  be  placed 
with  the  dead. 

UNUSUAL  OBJECTS 

A  rare  object  found  in  grave  2  was  a  cup  which  had  been  made  from  an 
ostrich  shell  by  cutting  about  one-third  of  the  top  of  the  shell  away  and  rough- 
ly smoothing  the  edge.  It  was  the  only  one  of  its  kind  found  in  the  cemetery, 
and  it  was  in  such  a  very  bad  condition  with  so  many  pieces  missing  that  it 
could  neither  be  restored  nor  drawn.  The  remains  of  a  similar  cup  were  found 
in  one  of  the  chambers  of  a  large  building  of  plano-convex  bricks,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  "A"  cemetery,  which  appears  to  be  of  the  same  date. 
The  ostrich  is  still  found  in  the  Arabian  desert,  and  was  doubtless  plentiful  in 
early  times.    Its  feathers  as  well  as  its  eggs  were  utilized  by  the  ancients. 

The  model  pottery  brazier.  No.  23  in  Plate  VII,  ought  perhaps  to  have 
been  included  with  the  pottery,  but  its  very  small  size  prohibited  this.  Though 
it  does  not  actually  come  from  a  recorded  grave,  but  from  some  rubbish  near 


20  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

the  surface  on  the  north  slope  of  the  mound,  it  was,  nevertheless,  probably 
washed  out  of  a  burial.    It  is  hand-made,  and  must  have  been  a  child's  toy. 

Two  toy  clay  animals  were  found  with  the  remains  of  a  child  in  an  urn- 
burial  in  grave  36.  It  is  difficult  to  say  what  these  animals  were  supposed  to 
be, — goats,  most  probably.  There  was  a  hole  through  the  head  just  below  the 
eyes  in  one  of  the  animals  for  it  to  be  pulled  along  with  a  string. 

In  burial  1 1  an  object  of  btirnt  clay  was  found  which  is  obviously  a  model 
battle-axe  (Plate  VII,  No.  24).  It  is  81  mm  long  by  78  mm  wide  at  the  head 
and  16  mm  thick  at  the  same  place.  It  is  somewhat  roughly  made  and  pro- 
vided with  two  holes  for  tying  it  to  its  handle.  The  lower  portion  has  a  fairly 
good  edge.  This,  as  well  as  the  axes  represented  in  Plate  XVII  (Nos.  i,  4,  and 
8),  is  especially  valuable  as  showing  a  type  of  weapon  in  use  at  the  period. 
The  burial  in  which  it  was  found  had  been  disturbed  anciently,  so  that  the  exact 
position  of  the  battle-axe  in  relation  to  the  body  could  not  be  ascertained. 

The  appended  table  of  the  various  objects  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery  has 
been  drawn  up  for  purposes  of  reference.  Against  the  number  of  each  grave 
is  placed  the  sex,  except  where  it  is  uncertain.  The  numbers  of  the  various 
objects  found  in  each  grave  are  given.  In  the  case  of  the  beads,  the  cross 
merely  indicates  that  beads  were  found  in  that  particular  grave,  ranging  in 
number  from  one  to  a  whole  string.  The  various  objects  are  dealt  with  in  detail 
in  the  text,  the  pottery  having  a  separate  tabulation. 


CHAPTER  III 

ER  V 

CH.4PTER  VI 

CHAPTER  I 

No.  of 
Grave 

Sex 

Battle- 
axes 

Curved 
Blades 

Daggers 

Bracelets 

Fiager- 
ringa 

Beads 

Cylinder 
Seals 

Amulets 

Rubbers 

Pigment 
Shells 

Toys 

•  I 

? 

X 

I 

*    2 

M. 

I 

2 

X 

*3 

C. 

*  4 

F. 

I 

I 

5 

M. 

X 

I 

2 

*  6 

? 

7 

? 

8 

F. 

I 

X 

I 

I 

I 

9 

F. 

I 

I 

2 

lO 

C. 

2 

X 

*ii 

M. 

I 

I 

2 

12 

F. 

X 

I 

I 

13 

F. 

X 

2 

'14 

M. 

2 

X 

15 

F. 

X 

I 

I 

2 

*i6 
17 

M.andF. 

I 

2 

I 

I 

X 

3 

I 

2 

■ 

I 

18 

C. 

X 

I 

2 

19 

F. 

X 

I 

2 

20 

M. 

I 

I 

X 

2 

21 

F. 

I 

X 

I 

I 

2 

*22 

? 

23 

F. 

I 

I 

X 

3 

2 

*24 

F. 

X 

I 

4 

25 

F. 

X 

26 

? 

I 

27 

F. 

X 

28 

M. 

I 

X 

*29 

? 

30 

F. 

3 

2 

31 

> 

■  32 

F. 

X 

3 

2 

33 

M. 

I 

X 

I 

2 

*34 

M.andF. 

I 

I 

-| 

X 

I 

2 

35 

? 

36 

C. 

X 

2 

*37 
*38 

? 

? 

TABULATION  OF  OBJECTS  FOUND  IN  GRAVES 


CHAPTER  11 

CHAPTER  IV 

CBAFT 

.RV 

CHAPTER  VI 

CHAPTER  I 

No.  ot 

&. 

Battle- 

Oantd 

DaggefB 

E.;™ 

Cb«l. 

»d.„, 

Model 

SciiuUo 

Sptedlt- 
ffhorls 

Toilet 
Cuei 

HeiNpins 

Coiled 
Hftii^piiu 

beftded 
Pioa 

Straight 

BodkiDB 

Coptwr 
Bowls 

Botek 

H&Ddled 

M^.„io„ 

Fillet! 

Gar-nogi 

Bracelets 

Finger- 

Beads 

'&- 

imuleU 

Rubben 

PismtQt 

Tox. 

•  1 

? 

X 

X 

t 

M. 

■ 

2 

' 

X 

•  3 

C. 

*  4 

F. 

■ 

' 

■ 

■ 

■ 

. 

5 

M. 

■ 

' 

■ 

' 

2 

X 

I 

2 

*  6 

? 

7 

? 

■ 

S 

F. 

1 

I 

2 

2 

X 

. 

, 

, 

9 

F. 

■ 

> 

■ 

2 

, 

, 

2 

lo      1       C. 

I 

^ 

2 

X 

•ii 

M. 

' 

2 

. 

. 

2 

'2 

F. 

>        , 

■ 

■ 

X 

. 

. 

'i 

F. 

I 

I 

X 

2 

•h 

M. 

2 

2 

X 

■5 

F. 

■ 

> 

■ 

X 

t 

. 

2 

•l6 

M.andF. 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

. 

. 

X 

3 

: 

2 

.7       j         ? 

. 

l8 

C. 

I 

. 

X 

■ 

2 

■9 

F. 

I 

I 

3 

X 

. 

2 

JO 

M. 

I 

I 

X 

2 

21 

F. 

. 

2 

2 

I 

. 

. 

3 

. 

X 

■ 

■ 

2 

•22 

? 

23 

F. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

I 

. 

I 

. 

. 

. 

I 

X 

3 

2 

*24 

F. 

. 

. 

X 

■ 

4 

25 

F. 

I 

X 

26 

27 

■ 

F. 

I 

X 

28 

M. 

, 

X 

•29 

? 

30 

F. 

. 

3 

2 

31 

r 

, 

, 

32 

33 
•34 
35 

F. 

, 

I 

X 

3 

2 

M. 

I 

, 

, 

X 

I 

2 

M.andF. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

2 

, 

I 

3 

. 

I 

X 

■ 

^ 

? 

36 
•37 

C. 

X 

2 

? 

•38 

? 

II.    POTTERY 

HANDLED  POTTERY     TYPE  A     Plates  I,  No.  5,  IX  and  X 

A  specimen  of  the  handled  pottery  shown  in  Plates  I,  IX  and  X  was 
found  in  practically  every  grave  in  the  "A"  cemetery  at  Ingharra.  In  three 
graves  two  jars  of  this  type  were  foimd,  one  large  and  the  other  small. ^  This 
handled  pottery  is  peculiar  and  quite  unlike  any  that  has  been  found  up  to 
the  present  in  Mesopotamia  or  elsewhere.  It  is  possible  that  this  pottery  is 
either  a  local  type  or  that  it  was  confined  to  the  northern  part  of  Sumer.  Only 
more  extended  excavations  in  various  parts  of  Mesopotamia  will  decide  this 
point.  The  pottery  is  wheel-made  of  a  well-kneaded  clay  and  under  medium 
magnification  shows  but  little  porosity  and  little  or  no  foreign  matter.  In 
color  it  ranges  from  a  light  salmon-pink  to  a  deep  red.  The  surfaces  of  a  few 
jars  are  coated  with  a  substance  which  is  yellow-drab  in  color.  This  may  be  a 
slip,  but  it  is  more  probably  a  salt  incrustation,  as  there  is  a  certain  amount 
of  sparkle.^ 

The  ware  is  thick,  in  some  cases  as  much  as  i  cm,  but  not  unduly  so 
when  the  size  and  purpose  of  the  jars  are  considered.  The  baking  is  good; 
though  most  of  the  jars  were  found  broken  through  earth  pressure,  it  was  pos- 
sible to  repair  them,  despite  many  of  the  pieces  being  heavily  saturated  with 
salt.  A  few  only — jars  which  were  found  in  graves  close  to  the  surface  of 
the  ground — were  in  a  bad  state.  Every  example  of  this  handled  pottery  was 
made  in  three  pieces,  joined  together  at  the  shotilder  and  between  body  and 
base.  The  joining  was  on  the  whole  skillfully  done,  and  is  difficult  to  detect 
in  the  unbroken  examples.  Sometimes,  however,  the  parts  were  not  equally 
damp  when  they  were  put  together  and  therefore  failed  to  adhere  properly. 
This  fault  was  more  frequent  in  joining  on  the  bases,  which  were  always 
hand-made. 

It  will  be  seen  in  the  two  plates  in  which  this  type  of  pottery  is  shown 
that  the  general  design  is  the  same.  The  sole  departtire  from  the  general 
rvile  is  No.  11  (Plate  X),  which  has  an  unusually  high  base.*  The  chief  pecu- 
liarity about  this  ware  is  the  handle  which  is  ornamented  in  high  relief  with 
the  features  and  breasts  of  a  woman,  the  nose  especially  being  very  promi- 
nent. In  every  jar  of  this  type  which  has  been  found  up  to  the  present,  it 
is  a  female  figure  that  is  represented  on  the  handle,  never  that  of  a  male. 
The  handles  were  made  of  tubular  pieces  of  clay  which  were  sometimes  left 
hollow  and  sometimes  flattened.  Three  of  the  jars  are  especially  interesting  be- 
cause the  hollow  handle  communicates  with  the  interior  of  the  jar,  though 


'  Graves  i,  18  and  2j.  The  contents  of  graves  i  and  18  had  been  disturbed.  The  first  contained  no  bones, 
and  the  second  those  of  a  child.  It  is  possible  that  each  of  these  burials  was  a  double  one,  as,  for  instance,  mother 
and  child,  and  that  the  smaller  jar  was  provided  for  the  child. 

2  Jars  9,  1 6,  and  1 7  are  certainly  washed  over  with  a  thin  cream  slip. 

'  Compare  this  base  with  type  E  pottery  (Plate  XIV,  Nos.  8-18). 

21 


22  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

the  extreme  upper  portion  of  the  handle  has  been  squeezed  so  flat  as  to  allow 
only  a  minute  drop  of  water  to  pass  through  (Burials  2,  23,  23',  Plate  X,  Nos. 
17,  22,  24).  Most  of  the  handles  were  secured  to  the  shoulder  of  the  jar  by 
cutting  a  hole  in  the  latter  and  passing  the  end  of  the  handle  through.  This 
made  a  strong  joint.  In  nearly  all  cases  the  joint  is  rough,  as  seen  from  the 
inside  of  the  jar,  though  care  was  taken  to  conceal  it  on  the  outside.  In  some 
examples,  the  end  of  the  handle  was  pared  or  thinned,  so  that  a  flange  rested 
against  the  surface  of  the  jar;  this  was  afterwards  carefully  pressed  down  all 
round  to  ensiu-e  as  close  adherence  as  possible. 

The  feminine  features  on  the  handles  were  formed  with  the  addition  of 
pellets  of  clay.  In  some  rare  cases  the  nose  was  squeezed  up  out  of  the  handle, 
but  in  general  it  was  added  and  the  joint  carefully  smoothed  over.  The  two 
breasts  were  always  added  and  range  in  shape  from  rough  nodules  to  full, 
rounded  forms. 

As  a  rule,  the  eyes  are  placed  on  either  side  of  the  nose  itself  or  as  close  to 
it  as  possible.  They  are  in  some  cases  simply  rough  clay  pellets,  in  others  cut 
disks  of  clay.  Occasionally,  fvirther  refinement  was  effected  by  impressing 
a  circular  mark  in  the  centre  of  each  eye  to  represent  the  pupil  (Plates  IX, 
No.  7;  X,  Nos.  I,  7,  9).  Jar  No.  9  has  no  eyes;  the  handle  is  very  roughly 
made  (see  also  Plate  II,  Nos.  1-9).  In  one  case  (Plate  II,  No.  7  and  Plate  IX, 
No.  6),  the  pupil  of  the  eye  is  represented  by  the  addition  of  a  second  and 
smaller  pellet  in  the  middle  of  the  first. 

Ears  are  not  very  common.  If  present,  they  are  mere  projections  on  the 
comers  of  the  squared  top  of  the  handle  (Plates  IX  and  X,  Nos.  22,  24;  II, 
Nos.  4,  5).  Eyebrows  are  also  rare;  they  are  represented  by  thin  strips  of  clay 
placed  above  nose  and  eyes  (Plates  II,  Nos.  6-9;  IX  and  X,  Nos.  i,  4,  6,  21). 
They  are  very  prominent  in  Plate  II,  Nos.  7  and  8,  giving  the  face  a  pro- 
nounced owl-like  appearance.  It  is  possible  in  Nos.  6,  8,  and  9  (Plate  II), 
especially  in  No.  6,  that  these  strips  of  clay  represent  hair  as  well. 

Most  of  the  handles  are  further  ornamented  with  incised  markings  made 
with  a  pointed  stick.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  these  are  either  rough  and 
irregular  scratches  or  a  series  of  oblique  parallel  lines  running  from  left  to 
right  and  right  to  left  alternately.  In  rare  cases,  there  are  rough  imitations 
of  necklaces  of  three  or  more  strings  of  beads  (Plates  II,  No.  8;  IX  and  X, 
Nos.  2,  6,  19,  21,  22).  A  feature  on  some  of  the  handles  is  a  roughly  hatched 
triangle  just  below  the  breasts,  which  represents  the  Mons  Veneris  (Plates 
II,  Nos.  7,  8;  IX  and  X,  Nos.  6,  21).  In  some  jars,  however,  this  portion  of  the 
body  is  shown  below  the  handle  on  the  body  of  the  jar,  immediately  below 
the  notched  beading  of  the  shoulder  (Plate  X,  Nos.  22,  23). 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  origin  of  these  handles  was  a  spout 
through  which  to  pour  the  contents  of  the  jar.  This  is  borne  out  by  the  facts 
that  they  were  all  made  from  tubular  pieces  of  clay,  that  some  retain  this 
shape  and  that  the  cavity  of  the  handle  in  some  cases  communicates  with  the 
interior  of  the  jar.      Another  important  point  is  that  none  of  the  handles  is 


POTTERY  23 

actually  secured  to  the  rim  of  the  jar,  though  most  rest  against  it,  or  are  sepa- 
rated from  it  by  a  distance  of  a  few  millimetres  only.  In  fact,  some  of  the 
handles  look  so  insecure  that  one  hesitates  to  lift  the  jars  by  them.  It  is  prob- 
able that  if  this  type  of  jar  had  lasted  over  a  longer  period,  we  should  have 
seen  the  gradual  disappearance  of  the  figure  and  the  eventual  joining  up  of 
the  top  of  the  handle  to  the  rim  of  the  jar  for  added  strength.  The  spouted 
jar  is  very  common  in  early  Mesopotamian  pottery,  but  it  was,  of  course,  only 
suitable  for  vessels  used  for  liquids. 

It  is  uncertain  at  present  whether  these  handled  jars  were  made  for  cere- 
monial purposes.  One  was  foiuid  in  every  burial  of  importance,  and  it  would 
seem  likely,  therefore,  that  they  were  in  everyday  use.  This  suggestion  is 
borne  out  by  the  fact  that  a  few  of  the  jars  were  slightly  broken  when  placed 
in  the  graves;  the  missing  pieces  were  not  to  be  found,  though  each  grave  was 
carefully  cleared  either  by  Col.  Lane  or  myself.  The  figiures  on  the  handles 
suggest  that  the  contents  of  the  jars  were  under  the  protection  of  a  goddess; 
in  all  probability,  a  water-goddess.  Who  this  deity  was,  it  is  impossible  to  say 
with  any  certainty,  as  the  cult  or  cults  of  the  temples  that  lie  imder  the 
mounds  known  as  Ingharra  are  not  yet  known. ^  The  fact  that  these  jars  were 
generally  found  in  an  upright  position  suggests  that  they  contained  water  for 
drinking  or  for  ablutions  in  the  owner's  next  existence. 

In  every  one  of  thirteen  graves  a  handled  jar  was  found;  behind  the  head 
in  five  cases,  in  front  of  the  head  in  three,  and  in  three  behind  the  back  near 
the  pelvis.  In  one  grave,  the  jar  was  placed  behind  the  shoulder,  in  another 
behind  the  feet.  The  usual  position,  therefore,  of  these  jars  is  behind  the 
body.  It  will  already  have  been  noticed  that  each  jar  is  decorated  on  the 
shoulder  as  well  as  on  the  handle.  In  Nos.  2-5  (Plate  IX),  this  decoration  is 
very  poor  and  consists  solely  of  rough  hatching  done  with  a  sharp  point. 
The  most  usual  design  is  a  series  of  large  triangles,  apex  upwards,  the  interi- 
ors of  which  are  filled  in  with  lines  crossing  one  another  to  form  a  series 
of  rough  lozenges.  Another  common  motive  is  two  interlacing  zig-zag  lines 
evidently  made  with  a  comb-like  implement,  for  they  are  in  groups  of  parallel 
hues,  three,  four,  and  sometimes  five  in  number.  A  flint  with  a  serrated  edge 
could  hardly  have  been  used  for  these  lines,  as  they  are  on  the  whole  too  regu- 
lar. Some  of  them  begin  or  end  in  awkward  places,  which  seems  to  suggest 
that  they  were  made  by  a  comb  fixed  at  the  end  of  a  stick.  The  decoration  as 
a  whole  is  fairly  well  done,  and  in  some  examples  an  attempt  was  made  to 
achieve  regularity. 

A  simple  decoration  consisting  of  a  single  zig-zag  line,  also  made  with  a 
comb,  is  shown  in  Nos.  16  and  17  (Plate  X).  Decoration  in  two  registers  is 
somewhat  rare,  but  four  examples  were  found  (Plate  X,  Nos.  21-24).  In  No.  21, 
the  design  is  the  same  in  both  registers,  but  the  other  numbers  show  more 
variety.     A  striking  peculiarity  of  this  pottery  is  the  presence  of  a  projecting 


'  Prof.  Langdon  suggests  that  the  figure  represents  either  Nintud,   the  mother  goddess,  or  Nina,  the 
water  goddess,  an  early  form  of  Ishtar. 


24  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

beading  aroimd  the  jars  at  the  junction  of  neck  and  body.  In  most  cases, 
this  beading  projects  very  considerably  from  the  shoulder  of  the  jar.  The  prob- 
able origin  of  this  form  of  decoration  was  the  inability  of  the  potter  to  make 
this  type  of  jar  in  a  single  piece.  It  would  seem  that  in  the  course  of  manu- 
facture the  upper  edge  of  the  body  of  the  jar  was  splayed  slightly  outward, 
in  order  that  the  lower  edge  of  the  neck  might  fit  into  it,  forming  a  kind  of 
plumber's  joint.  When  this  junction  had  been  properly  effected,  the  edge  of 
the  lower  part  of  the  jar  was  turned  over  against  the  shoulder,  and  any  irreg- 
ularity caused  by  the  join,  whether  inside  or  out,  was  then  rectified  by  smear- 
ing the  joint  over  with  clay.  This  method  of  building  a  jar  had  its  defects 
owing  to  the  union  not  always  being  true  with  the  result  that  complete  ad- 
herence all  round  did  not  always  take  place. 

In  all  the  larger  jars,  this  rim  was  then  heavily  notched  all  round  by  a 
piece  of  wood  or  bone  with  a  roimded  surface.  Generally  each  notch  is  slight- 
ly oblique,  running  either  to  left  or  right,  but  there  are  examples  where  the 
markings  are  vertical.  Besides  being  an  ornament,  the  notching  must  have 
assisted  in  pressing  the  two  parts  of  the  jar  together. ^  To  complete  the  deco- 
ration most  of  the  jars  have  a  simple  series  of  points  pricked  around  the  junc- 
tion of  the  neck  and  sloping  shoulder.  This  was  done  with  a  pointed  instru- 
ment held  almost  vertically,  each  stroke  being  directed  downward. 

These  jars  are  on  the  whole  well  made,  especially  their  upper  portions 
which  are  invariably  better  finished  than  the  bodies.  The  latter  show  undula- 
tions and  finger-grooving  in  some  of  the  less  skilfully  finished  examples.  The 
surfaces  are  smooth  and  impolished.  The  interiors  of  the  jars,  as  a  rule,  show 
no  very  noticeable  finger-grooving,  the  surprising  absence  of  this  being  doubt- 
less due  to  the  making  of  the  jars  in  separate  pieces.  Any  roughness  in  a  jar 
was  to  be  found  in  its  hand-made  portions,  namely  the  handle  or  the  ring 
forming  its  base.  Such  defects  were  probably  caused  in  making  these  two  por- 
tions adhere  properly  to  the  body  of  the  jar. 

In  the  style  of  decoration,  but  not  in  form,  this  pottery  resembles  early 
Hittite  pottery,  though  it  is,  of  course,  of  considerably  earlier  date.  Its  simple 
geometric  decoration  may  not  have  been  borrowed;  it  might  as  easily  have 
originated  in  the  country  in  which  it  is  found  as  elsewhere.^  These  jars  range 
in  size  from  10.5  to  39  cm  in  height  (Plate  IX,  Nos.  10  and  12). 

POTTERY  BRAZIERS     TYPE  B     Plate  I,  No.  4;  Plates  XI  and  XII 

Only  the  very  poorest  graves  or  those  in  a  badly  disturbed  state  lacked 
a  brazier  which  was  evidently  considered  an  essential  part  of  the  funeral 
equipment.  These  braziers  were  always  of  heavy  ware,  and  not  so  well  fin- 
ished off  as  were  the  handled  jars.     The  stems  seem  unnecessarily  clumsy. 


1  It  should  be  noticed  that  the  jar  shown  as  No.  21  (Plate  X)  has  a  plain  beading  around  its  shoulder. 
It  is  the  only  jar  of  this  type  in  which  the  notching  was  omitted. 

'-  The  notched  beading  at  the  junction  of  the  shoulder  and  body  in  this  pottery  in  a  superficial  way  re- 
sembles the  beading  in  a  similar  position  on  some  of  the  Palestine  pottery  dated  to  the  "First  Semitic  Period." 
The  use  ot  the  combed  ornament  was  also  common  in  Palestine  in  the  same  period,  which  is  dated  to  2000-1800 


POTTERY  25 

ranging,  as  they  do,  from  i  to  1.5  cm  in  thickness.  The  fine  example  num- 
bered 18  on  Plate  XII  is  44.5  cm  high,  and  the  smallest  size  (Plate  XI, 
No.  5)  12  cm  high.  It  will  be  noticed  that  these  braziers  exhibit  a  consider- 
able diversity  both  in  shape  and  size.  This  is  perhaps  due  to  the  complex 
nature  of  this  type  of  pottery,  each  specimen  of  which  must  have  taken  a  con- 
siderable time  to  make. 

Like  the  handled  ware,  these  braziers  were  made  in  two  pieces  which 
were  joined  together  before  the  clay  was  dry.  The  upper  portion  or  dish  was 
always  better  finished  oft"  than  the  stem  and  base;  the  latter  portion  always 
has  very  pronounced  finger-grooving  inside  caused  by  the  effort  required  to 
pull  up  such  a  heavy  mass  of  clay  while  on  the  wheel. ^ 

When  the  bases  are  decorated,  their  roughness  is  usually  accentuated  by 
the  dragging  of  the  surface  of  the  pottery  by  the  point  or  comb  with  which  the 
designs  were  scratched.  In  the  specimens  found  up  to  the  present  no  attempt 
was  made  to  remove  this  blemish.^  The  same  clay  was  used  as  for  the  handled 
ware,  and  the  color  of  the  two  types  of  pottery  was  very  similar,  but  in  many 
cases  the  braziers  were  imperfectly  baked.  It  would  appear  from  this  that  not 
sufficient  allowance  was  made  for  the  thickness  of  the  material,  with  the  result 
that  many  of  the  vessels  show  the  characteristic  gray  tinge  in  the  thickness 
of  the  clay  which  is  the  mark  of  imperfect  firing.  Unfortunately  salt  has 
played  havoc  with  much  of  this  ware,  owing  to  its  shape  and  its  defective 
baking,  with  the  result  that  only  one  specimen  was  recovered  whole  and  the 
remainder  in  many  pieces,  most  of  which  were  badly  scaled.  The  very  form  of 
the  braziers  was  ill  adapted  to  stand  the  pressure  of  the  grave  filling,  which 
broke  off  their  dishes  and  basal  portions. 

With  two  exceptions,  these  braziers  were  all  found  in  an  upright  position. 
In  burial  19,  the  brazier  was  placed  as  a  pillow  for  the  dead  man  (Plate  V). 
It  lay  on  the  body  in  btirial  8,  where  it  had  perhaps  fallen  when  the  grave  was 
filled  in.  Its  usual  position  in  the  grave  was  behind  the  body.  Of  fourteen 
graves  which  were  in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation,  the  brazier  was  found  in 
seven,  standing  behind  the  head  or  shoulders;  in  four,  it  was  behind  the  pelvis 
or  the  feet.  In  three  instances  only,  it  was  placed  in  front  of  the  head,  but 
at  some  distance  from  it.  The  vessels  of  this  type  have  been  called  "braziers" 
owing  to  their  pecuHar  construction.  It  was,  first  of  all,  thought  that  they 
were  used  for  food.  The  presence,  however,  of  what  are  evidently  ventilation 
holes  in  many  of  the  specimens  (Nos.  4,  6,  12-14,  17),  proves  that  they  were 
made  for  heating  purposes,  the  holes  serving  to  cool  the  stem  so  that  the 
utensil  could  be  readily  moved  from  place  to  place.  Food,  however  hot,  could 
never  sufficiently  heat  the  stem  for  ventilation  to  be  necessary,  but  in  the  case 
of  a  fuel-like  charcoal,  especially  if  constantly  replenished,  such  holes  would 
be  required.      It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  not  a  single  brazier  was 


'  In  the  case  of  No.  4  in  Plate  I,  also  No.  q  in  Plate  XI,  the  two  portions  were  apparently  fitted  together 
and  then  placed  on  the  wheel  once  more  for  a  final  trimming-up. 

2  In  No.  14  the  ventilation  holes  were  even  bored  after  the  decoration  was  finished,  with  the  result  that 
a  heavy  burr  has  been  left  around  the  edges  of  the  holes. 


26  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

found  to  contain  any  vestiges  of  fuel,  nor  even  to  show  the  marks  of  burning. 
But  such  traces  would  be  readily  removed  by  time  and  the  action  of  salt;  and 
if  charcoal  were  used,  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  a  very  clean  fuel. 
The  ventilation  holes  were  bored  with  a  stick  varying  from  i  to  i}4  cm  in 
diameter.  In  the  vessels  numbered  4,  6,  12,  14,  and  17,  these  holes  are  in  the 
base,  two  close  together  on  either  side.  In  No.  13,  there  is  a  single  hole  on 
either  side  of  the  stem,  close  under  the  dish. 

On  examining  the  two  plates  on  which  this  pottery  is  shown,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  simplest  form  of  brazier  is  unomamented  in  any  way.  It  has  a 
plain  wide  base  and  dish,  the  latter  with  a  deep  groove  aroimd  its  edge.  In 
Nos.  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  the  base  is  still  plain  with  the  exception  of  a  simple  groov- 
ing on  No.  2.  The  rims  of  the  dishes,  however,  are  heavily  grooved,  the 
ridges  above  and  below  being  coarsely  notched  with  a  stick.  In  No.  6,  how- 
ever, only  the  upper  ridge  is  treated  in  this  way.  No.  7  is  interesting,  because 
the  heavy  grooving  of  its  base  is  spiral  in  form.  Up  to  the  present,  it  is  the 
only  brazier  that  has  been  found  to  show  this  feature.  In  Nos.  9,  10,  and  11, 
the  base  of  the  brazier  is  roughly  decorated  with  criss-cross  lines,  made  with  a 
fine  point  in  the  first  two  and  with  a  heavier  one  in  the  third.  No.  1 1  is  also 
distinguished  by  the  upper  edge  of  the  base  being  notched, — a  unique  feature  up 
to  the  present. 

Brazier  No.  1 2  has  several  interesting  points.  There  is  a  notched  beading 
just  above  the  middle  of  the  stem  and  another  above  the  base,  which  is  orna- 
mented with  a  chevroi;!  design  of  three  lines  made  separately.  In  Nos.  13  and 
14  we  have  a  more  elaborate  form  of  decoration,  especially  in  the  latter,  in 
which  there  is  a  double  notched  beading  just  above  the  base  which  is  roughly 
hatched  with  a  single  point.  No.  13  has  two  forms  of  decoration  on  its  base, 
the  upper  one  made  with  a  single  point  in  groups  of  three  lines,  arranged  chev- 
ron-wise. The  fine  linework  of  the  lower  register  is  also  made  with  a  single 
point.  No.  15  is  an  exceptionally  neat  brazier  and  graceful  in  form.  A  broad, 
notched  beading,  below  which  is  a  row  of  chevrons  made  with  a  fotir-toothed 
comb,  decorates  the  base  of  the  stem.  This  piece  of  pottery  has  been  washed 
with  a  light  cream  slip,  and  through  over-baldng  its  dish  has  become  slightly 
twisted. 

No.  16  is  rather  clumsy.  On  the  base  and  the  lower  part  of  the  stem,  a 
simple  design  was  drawn  with  a  seven-toothed  comb.  The  outer  edges  of  the 
dishes  of  Nos.  16,  18,  and  20  are  scored  heavily  with  three  horizontal  lines  in- 
stead of  the  grooving  made  on  the  wheel.  This  scoring  is  done  with  a  stick, 
and  further  ornamentation  is  afforded  by  a  series  of  vertical  lines  (set  slight- 
ly obliquely,  especially  in  the  case  of  No.  18),  which  break  up  the  surface  of 
the  rim  into  a  number  of  small  squares.  The  bases  of  Nos.  1 8  and  20  are  deco- 
rated with  lines  made  with  combs  of  three  and  five  teeth,  respectively. 

No.  19  is  a  cvirious  object.  Both  the  top  and  base  are  broken  off,  and 
its  surface  is  decorated  with  a  roughly  hatched  pattern  incised  in  the  clay 
with  a  point,  and  moreover  there  are  six  horizontal  ribs  which  are  notched. 


POTTERY  27 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  we  have  here  part  of  the  stem  of  an  unusually  deco- 
rated brazier.  It  was  found  in  the  cemetery  mound,  lying  by  itself  in  loose 
debris.  The  miusually  small  brazier  (Plate  XI,  No.  5)  was  found  with  the 
small  handled  jar  (Plate  IX,  No.  9).  This  set  of  pottery  probably  belonged 
to  a  child's  grave.  The  bones  of  the  burial  could  not  be  found  and  had  doubt- 
less perished  because  of  their  extreme  fragility.  The  only  other  pottery  found 
with  these  two  pieces  was  a  number  of  small  dishes. 

As  has  already  been  mentioned,  these  braziers,  like  the  handled  ware,  ranged 
in  color  from  salmon-pink  to  a  dark  red.  There  were,  however,  three  ex- 
ceptions, Nos.  3,  5,  and  15,  which  were  washed  over  with  a  thin  cream  slip. 
The  handled  jars  from  the  same  burials  had  been  similarly  treated.  Our 
knowledge  is  at  present  insufficient  to  determine  the  sequence  of  the  graves 
in  which  handled  ware  and  braziers  were  found,  but  the  manner  of  their  deco- 
ration helps  us  a  little.  I  would  put  down  the  undecorated  ware  as  being 
necessarily  earlier  than  those  pieces  which  were  decorated  with  a  single  point, 
as  Nos.  II,  12,  and  14.  These  three  braziers  were  accompanied  by  handled 
jars  that  were  also  decorated  with  a  single  point.  There  are  a  few  cases,  how- 
ever, in  which  the  brazier  has  been  decorated  with  a  single  point  and  the 
handled  jar  accompam'ing  it  with  combed  lines;  and  the  reverse  also  occurs. 

Most  of  the  braziers  and  handled  jars  have  combed  lines  made  with  an 
instrument  with  from  three  to  seven  teeth,  and  these  are  probably  of  slightly 
later  date.  The  fiat  rim  of  practically  every  brazier  was  ornamented  with 
a  simple,  wavy  line.  This  seems  to  have  been  considered  an  essential  part  of 
the  decoration,  and  is  only  missing  in  Nos.  11,  13,  16,  18,  and  20,  and  in  those 
braziers  which  are  entirely  undecorated.  Unfortunately,  we  cannot  compare 
this  ware  with  any  other  of  the  same  kind  elsewhere,  as  nothing  quite  like  it 
has  as  yet  been  found. ^  It  has  a  remote  resemblance  to  the  Hittite  pottery, 
named  "champagne  cups,"  that  have  been  found  in  cist  burials  in  Central  and 
North  Syria.  These  belong  to  the  bronze  age  (early  Hittite),  approximately 
II 00  B.C.,  but  our  examples  are  of  a  much  earlier  date. 

A  very  similar  form  of  vessel,  undecorated  and  made  of  a  black  and  red 
ware  Uke  the  predynastic  and  pan-grave  potter}'  of  Eg^'pt,  has  been  found  in 
the  pre-historic  burials  (dolmens  and  cainis)  in  southern  India.  These  vessels 
are  about  one-third  the  size  of  our  braziers.  This  Indian  pottery  has  been  con- 
jecturally  dated  to  about  2500  B.C.,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  used  for 
burning  incense. 

It  has  been  noted  that  a  specimen  or  sometimes  two  of  the  handled  ware 
already  discussed  accompanied  these  braziers  in  the  burials  in  which  they  were 
fotind.  In  some  cases  the  decoration  on  the  two  vessels  is  practically  the  same, 
suggesting  that  both  were  made  by  the  same  potter.  This  is  an  interesting 
point,  for  most  potters  in  the  Orient  at  the  present  day  specialize  in  certain 


•  Since  the  above  was  written,  some  results  of  the  Kara  excavations  have  been  published  by  Walter 
Andrae,  Die  archaischen  Ischtar-Tempel  in  .A^ssur,  Plates  XVIII,  XIX,  XX.  In  the  cemetery  at  Fara  similar 
braziers  were  found  to  those  discovered  at  Kish.  They  were,  however,  of  a  more  degraded  type.  Andrae  has 
dated  them  in  a  period  named  G,  or  before  3000  B.C. 


28  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

shapes,  and  one  or  two,  and  sometimes  more,  makers  may  have  to  be  visited  to 
obtain  the  particular  type  of  jar  desired. 

STRAIGHT-SHOULDERED  WARE     TYPE  C     Plate  XHI 

This  type  of  ware  is  very  frequently  found  in  the  Ingharra  burials,  two, 
three,  and  sometimes  five  specimens  being  found  in  a  grave.*  But  no  special 
position  in  relation  to  the  body  was  allotted  to  them.  The  shape  is  very  charac- 
teristic, each  jar  having  a  well-defined  neck  and  shoulder,  the  latter  forming 
a  sharp  angle  with  the  body.  The  general  shape  is  not  dissimilar  to  some  of 
the  twelfth  dynasty  ware  of  Egypt,  except  that  the  latter  ware  has  an  almost 
flat  base.  This  pottery  is  not  particularly  thin  for  its  size,  and  in  most  cases 
has  a  dragged,  imeven  surface,  especially  on  the  lower  portion  of  the  jar. 
The  clay  is  light  red,  well  kneaded,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  well  baked. 
Three  specimens  have  apparently  been  coated  with  a  thin  cream  slip,  but  a 
more  minute  examination  than  could  be  given  in  the  field  is  necessary  to  prove 
this  (Nos.  I,  6,  and  i8;  graves  i,  2,  and  6).  In  a  gi-eat  many  cases  the  clay 
was  worked  in  too  dry  a  condition,  with  the  result  that,  besides  being  uneven, 
the  surface  of  the  pottery  is  striated.  On  the  whole,  however,  the  ware  is  of 
creditable  workmanship.  All  examples  found  up  to  the  present  have  been 
made  on  a  wheel. 

The  ring-like  base  with  which  each  specimen  is  pi-ovided  was  added  later. 
In  most  instances  it  was  trimmed  up  on  the  wheel  after  being  added.  The 
joining  was  not  always  perfectly  done,  and  the  base  has  sometimes  parted 
company  with  its  jar,  owing  principally  to  the  action  of  salt.  It  is  suspected, 
but  not  at  present  proved,  that  the  neck  and  shoulder  of  the  jar  were  added 
to  the  body,  the  join  being  very  sldllfully  made  and  very  diflficvilt  to  detect. 
No.  23  was  found  to  have  parted  into  two  in  this  region,  the  break  being  too 
even  and  regular  not  to  have  been  other  than  the  result  of  a  join  giving 
way.  The  simpler  type  of  jar  has  a  plain  neck  as  in  Nos.  1-4.  Nmnbers 
5-7  have  thick  necks  with  the  rim  formed  by  turning  over  the  top.  In  Nos. 
8-1  a,  the  necks  are  more  complex,  definite  form  being  afforded  by  a  scored 
line  at  the  junction  of  neck  and  shoulder.  No.  12  is  most  tmusual  owing  to 
its  great  height  as  compared  with  its  breadth.  The  examples  that  follow  are 
squatter  in  form.  Their  rims  and  necks  are  more  shapely,  being  improved 
either  by  a  single  fluting  in  Nos.  15-19  and  by  a  double  one  in  No.  20.  The 
angle  between  the  shoulder  and  body  is  also  more  pronounced,  especially  in 
jars  16,  18-20. 

Nos.  21-25  S'll  have  fairly  simple  necks  and  rims,  but  they  ai"e  especially 
interesting  in  that  their  shoulders  are  ornamented  with  scored  lines.  In  the 
first  two,  this  scoring  is  spiral  and  made  with  a  toothed  instrument.  Nos. 
24  and  25  have  been  similarly  ornamented,  but  the  gi'oups  of  lines  run  straight, 
not  spirally,  round  the  shoulders  of  the  vessels.     The  latter  is  also  noticeable 

•  Burials  j6  and  34  each  contained  three  specimens;  in  burial  i  there  were  four;  burial  5  contained  five. 


POTTERY  29 

on  account  of  the  beading  around  it,  which,  though  unnotched,  is  similar  to 
that  on  the  handled  jars. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  other  types  of  ware,  it  is  not  at  present  possible  to 
assign  proper  sequence  dating  owing  to  the  small  number  of  graves  as  yet 
excavated.  Nor  is  it  always  the  case  that  the  jars  of  the  same  type  found  in 
the  same  grave  were  exactly  similar.  For  instance,  Nos.  i  and  16  which  were 
found  together  in  grave  2  are  of  the  same  general  type,  yet  differ  considerably 
in  detail  from  one  another.  Jar  No.  23  is  of  especial  interest.  Its  base  is 
formed  by  working  the  lower  part  of  the  body  downward  and  outward  with 
the  fingers  to  form  a  ring.  The  junction  of  the  shoulder  and  body  is  orna- 
mented with  short  lines  rtmning  obliquely,  and  the  shoulder  itself  is  roughly 
decorated  with  two  wavy  lines  scratched  with  a  point.  It  is  of  light  red  ware 
with  a  yellowish  face,  which  seems  to  be  the  result  of  a  salty  deposit. 

SPOUTED  VESSELS     TYPE  D     Plate  XIV 

The  spouted  jar,  though  frequently  found  at  an  earlier  period,^  is  a  rare 
feature  in  the  cemetery,  only  two  examples  being  found  (Burials  23  and  24; 
Nos.  4  and  5).  The  other  examples  illustrated  in  the  plate  are  included  for 
comparison  only;  but,  as  they  come  from  the  same  site  and  were  found  ap- 
proximately at  the  same  levels,  there  is  reason  to  think  that  they  are  of  the 
same  date  as  the  burials. 

Jars  Nos.  4  and  5  ai'e  very  similar,  except  for  their  bases.  The  base  of 
No.  4  has  a  number  of  focused  grooves  scored  vipon  it  (Plate  XV,  A).  This 
is  a  peculiarity  which  is  very  frequently  found  in  the  simpler  types  of  pot- 
tery in  this  cemetery  (Plate  XV,  Nos.  16-46).  The  scoring  seems  to  have  been 
produced  by  the  surface  of  the  wheel  upon  which  the  pottery  was  turned,  being 
lightly  covered  with  loose  sand.  The  jar  when  finished  was  removed  from  the 
wheel  by  a  sliding  motion  before  the  latter  had  ceased  revolving,  as  is  shown 
by  the  scoring,  which  is  always  well  pronotmced,  taking  the  form  of  loops 
passing  through  a  single  point  situated  somewhere  near  the  edge  of  the  base. 
When  scoring  is  present,  the  base  of  the  jar  is  always  rough  and  uneven, 
and  it  appears  that  a  considerable  amount  of  force  was  needed  to  remove  it 
from  the  wheel. 

Nos.  4  and  5  are  both  somewhat  roughly  made  with  irregular  surfaces; 
they  appear  to  have  been  made  on  a  slow  wheel.  In  each  the  spout,  which 
is  large  as  compared  with  the  sizes  of  the  vessels,  is  hand-made,  and  is  skillfully 
joined  on.  No.  i  has  a  slightly  convex  and  uneven  base.  The  spout  is  hand- 
made, and  the  jimction  between  it  and  the  jar  well  finished,  both  inside  and 
out.  A  spongy  material,  brown  in  color,  which  was  found  at  the  bottom  of  this 
jar  is  being  analyzed.  The  grooves  scratched  with  a  point  at  the  base  of  the 
neck  and  immediately  below  are  a  very  unusual  ornamentation  in  this  type  of 
jar. 


'  In  a  plano-convex  building  below  the  cemetery  and  in  other  parts  of  the  site  of  Kish.    These  sites  will 
be  dealt  vrith  in  a  later  publication. 


30  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

No.  2  is  unusual  in  shape.  It  has  a  small  flat,  unsteady  base  and  a  thick 
rim.  The  spout  is  rudimentary.  No.  3  has  a  spout  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
size  of  the  jar.  It  has  been  joined  on  very  unskillfuUy,  and  the  result  is  ugly. 
This  type  of  ware  is  made  of  an  entirely  different  clay  from  that  used  in  other 
pottery  found  in  the  cemetery.  It  is  straw-colored  or  light  yellow,  and  is  hard 
baked.  The  clay  is  granular  in  appearance,  and  contains  very  little  foreign 
matter.  The  baking  is  not  responsible  for  the  color  of  this  ware,  as  will  be 
explained  below.  It  bears  a  certain  resemblance  to  the  clay  used  in  some  Ham- 
murabi and  Neo-Babylonian  pottery  found  at  Kish,  though  most  of  the  pot- 
tery of  these  periods  is  soft  baked.  It  very  closely  resembles  alluvial  clays 
found  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  in  most  parts  of  Mesopotamia,  as  distinct 
from  the  river  clays  which  are  considerably  darker  in  color.  Practically  all 
the  pottery  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery  was  made  from  the  latter  material. 

Spouted  vessels  are  a  very  early  type  of  Sumerian  pottery,  and  they  have 
survived  down  to  the  present  day  in  Iraq.  The  type  is  apparently  not  now 
found  in  Asia  Minor,  but  it  is  in  every-day  use  in  Syria,  and  I  have  come  across 
a  few  examples  in  Egypt,  which,  however,  may  have  been  imported.  It  has 
been  found  in  Palestine  and  dated  there  to  the  first  Semitic  period  (2000- 
1800  B.C.)  and  again  to  the  fourth  Semitic  period  (1000-550  B.C.).  And  the 
same  kind  of  pottery  will  doubtless  be  found  in  Syria  when  the  archaeology  of 
that  country  has  been  properly  studied.  This  type  of  jar  was  used  for  drink- 
ing. The  vessel  was  held  above  the  level  of  the  mouth,  into  which  the  water 
was  poured  without  contact  with  the  lips.  This  requires  a  certain  amount  of 
practice,  as  those  who  essay  the  feat  with  the  modem  spouted  jars  find  out. 

CUP-BASED  POTTERY     TYPE  E     Plate  XIV 

A  very  striking  fonn  of  pottery  is  the  ware  shown  in  Plate  XIV  (Nos.  6-18). 
It  is  not  at  all  common  in  the  "A"  cemetery,  many  graves  being  without  a  speci- 
men, whereas  others  contain  two  (Nos.  10-12,  14-17;  graves  i,  9,  12-14,  ^4' 
29,  32,  34).  Owing  to  their  shape  and  to  the  thinness  of  the  ware,  few  of  the 
examples  that  were  found  have  survived  the  pressure  of  the  earth,  to  which 
the  bases  especially  have  succumbed.  They  have  also  suffered  badly  from  the 
action  of  salt.  This  ware  is  made  of  fine,  well-kneaded,  dark-red  clay.  But 
though  the  shapes  and  proportions  of  the  vases  are  so  good,  most  of  the 
examples  found  are  somewhat  roughly  finished,  frequently  with  striated  and 
irregular  surfaces.^ 

The  jars  were  always  in  an  upright  position  and  placed  near  the  head  of 
the  burial, — usually  in  front  of  the  face.  When  two  jars  were  present,  they 
were  close  together.  The  base  was  always  added  to  the  vessel  in  the  course  of 
construction.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  this  was  so  skillfully  done  that  it  is 
probable  that  after  the  base  was  affixed  the  jar  was  returned  to  the  wheel 
for  a  final  trimming-up.  As  in  most  of  the  better  pottery  in  the  graves,  the 
upper  part  of  these  vessels  was  better  finished  than  the  lower.    It  will  be  seen 

'  Nos.  10,  II,  and  12  appear  to  have  been  washed  over  with  a  thin  cream  slip. 


POTTERY  3 1 

that  the  rims  are  all  alike,  flat  and  ledge-like  in  form.  In  Nos.  17  and  18,  the 
base  is  very  considerably  shortened.  No.  14  is  peculiar  in  that  a  small  spiral 
button  has  been  left  at  the  bottom  inside, — another  proof  that  no  particular 
care  was  taken  in  the  finish  of  these  vessels. 

It  has  been  stated  that  this  pottery  was  made  of  a  dark-red  clay.  There 
are,  however,  three  exceptions, — Nos.  6-8,  in  which  the  material  used  is  ash- 
colored,  probably  owing  to  dung'  or  some  similar  substance  being  kneaded 
with  the  clay.  Unfortunately,  none  of  these  three  pieces  of  pottery  was  found 
in  a  recorded  grave.  Nos.  6  and  8  come  from  the  cemetery  mound,  and  No.  7 
from  a  large  plano-convex  building  about  half  a  mile  away.  They  are,  how- 
ever, so  allied  by  shape  with  the  type  under  discussion  that  it  has  appeared 
advisable  to  include  them  in  it  (see  also  Plate  I,  Nos.  2  and  3). 

No.  6  is  dark-gray  in  color.  Its  neck  is  decorated  by  deeply  pricked  lines 
crossing  one  another  obliquely,  thus  forming  a  series  of  lozenges.  The  shoulder 
is  ornamented  by  a  double  line  of  small  circles,  7^  mm  in  diameter,  which 
were  deeply  incised  in  the  clay  with  a  round  instrument.  Each  circle  has  a 
smaller  circle  inside  it,  and  both  circles  and  pricked  lines  were  probably  filled 
in  with  a  white  paste  as  in  jar  No.  7.  The  jar  had  a  cup-like  base,  which  is 
now  missing,  but  the  mark  of  the  join  still  remains. 

No.  7  is  light-gray,  thin  for  its  size  and  well  made.  Three  rows  of  hol- 
lows, which  were  filled  in  with  a  white  paste  resembling  gypsvmi,  decorate  the 
shoulder.  The  hollows  are  about  1  mm  in  diameter,  and  though  not  undercut 
in  any  way,  a  slight  ridge  or  burr  around  the  edge  of  each  serves  to  hold  the 
paste,  which  forms  a  kind  of  small  white  boss. 

The  two  lower  rows  of  bosses  are  separated  by  an  incised  line  which 
is  also  filled  in  with  white.  The  surface  of  the  jar  is  smooth,  but  unpolished. 
Its  base  is  small  and  only  just  sufficient  to  allow  it  to  stand  steadily.  Both 
these  jars  have  traces  of  some  black  material,  which  to  the  casual  eye  resembles 
bitumen,  adhering  to  the  iimer  and  outer  surfaces.  This  is  probably  the  re- 
mains of  some  scented  fat  or  ointment.  No  indications  of  similar  contents 
were  found  in  any  other  jars  of  this  type,  which  means  that  they  were  placed 
in  the  grave  empty  or  that  their  contents  have  entirely  disappeared.  The 
squat  shape  and  wide  mouth  of  these  vessels  in  themselves  suggest  that  their 
contents  were  other  than  a  liquid. 

The  finding  of  these  two  vessels  with  black  and  white  incised  decoration 
indicates,  I  think,  that  this  method  of  ornamentation  was  practised  in  Sumer; 
it  perhaps  originated  there.  That  these  two  jars  were  not  imported  is  strongly 
indicated  by  their  being  similar  in  shape  and  form  to  the  imdecorated  vessels 
of  the  ordinaiy  red  ware.  It  is,  of  course,  possible  to  argue  that  the  whole 
of  the  pottery  of  this  type  was  imported,  but  I  venture  to  think  that  the  par- 
ticularly fragile  nature  of  these  jars  itself  precludes  this  possibility. 

No.  8  is  of  dark-colored  clay  and  entirely  undecorated;  but  it  is  noteworthy 
on  accoimt  of  its  being  imusually  tall  for  its  width.    It  is  a  very  graceful  jar. 


'  This  substance  is  still  used  in  Palestine  and  Syria  to  make  a  dark-colored  clay.     An  almost  black  effect 
can  sometimes  be  produced,  especially  if  the  surface  is  rubbed  to  close  the  pores. 


32  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

BOWLS  TYPE  F  Plate  XIV 
The  two  bowls  illustrated  at  the  foot  of  this  plate  and  numbered  19  and 
20  are  of  a  type  uncommon  in  the  "A"  cemeteiy,  for  they  are  the  only  two 
that  have  been  found  as  yet.  The  first  is  from  burial  12,  and  is  made  of  some- 
what coarse  light-red  clay.  It  has  a  ring  base  and  banded  rim.  No.  20  is 
from  burial  29.  It  differs  radically  from  No.  19  in  form,  but  not  in  color  or 
make.  The  surfaces  of  both  are  rough  and  striated  inside  and  out,  the  clay 
having  probably  been  worked  in  too  dry  a  condition.  Both  utensils  have 
very  wide  mouths,  and  were  probably  used  for  corn  or  meal.' 

PANS  TYPE  G  Plate  XV 
Of  the  three  pans  figured  in  this  plate,  only  the  first  was  found  in  a  grave 
(grave  11).  The  remaining  two,  however,  resemble  the  first  so  closely  that 
they  have  been  included  as  probably  being  of  the  same  period.  No.  i  was 
foimd  broken,  and  only  some  of  the  pieces  could  be  recovered.  It  is  impossible 
to  say  whether  it  was  originalty  round  or  oval  in  shape.  It  is  roughly  made 
and  baked  and  of  a  light -red  color.  The  base  is  fiat  and  uneven,  the  sides 
slightly  concave.  No.  2  is  of  the  same  ware.  Its  rim  is  produced  upwards  to 
form  three  projections,  or  lugs,  placed  at  irregular  intervals. ^  No.  3  is  of  very 
inferior  ware,  its  sitrface  being  iiTegular  both  inside  and  out.  In  color  and 
texture,  however,  it  resembles  the  other  two.  All  three  pans  are  hand-made 
and  appear  to  be  of  home  manufacture.  In  shape  and  form  they  resemble  the 
pans  used  in  Iraq  and  Syria  at  the  present  day  to  hold  flour  and  dough.  Our 
specimens  were  probably  used  for  this  purpose. 

BEAKERS  TYPE  H  Plate  XV 
This  is  a  rare  type  of  pottery ;  it  was  found  in  only  two  graves  in  the  ceme- 
tery. From  their  wide  mouths  and  rounded  bases,  it  would  appear  that 
these  vessels  were  used  for  dipping  water  from  a  larger  jar.  No.  4  was  found 
in  grave  13  with  much  other  pottery.  Nos.  5  and  6  come  from  grave  28;  they 
were  placed  together  with  some  other  pottery  just  behind  the  head.  The  remain- 
ing jar  of  the  group  (No.  7)  did  not  come  from  a  burial,  but  it  has  been 
figured,  as  it  is  obviously  of  the  same  type,  though  considerably  shorter.  It  was 
found  close  to  grave  30  and  about  2  metres  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Two  small  holes  for  suspension  are  provided  near  its  rim.  The  ware  is  of  a 
light-red  color,  except  in  No.  5,  which  is  greenish-gray.  This  jar  is  also  badly 
out  of  shape  through  over-firing.  All  the  examples  are  wheel-made,  and  have 
rough  striated  surfaces,  both  inside  and  out.  The  clay  is  fine  and  well  kneaded. 
The  pottery  of  this  group  is  thin  for  its  size. 

JARS  WITH  HOLES  FOR  SUSPENSION     TYPE  J     Plate  XV 
This  type  of  jar  also  is  uncommon  in  the  "A"  cemetery.     The  close  simi- 
larity of  form  of  all  the  examples  found  would  date  them  to  the  same  period, 
despite  their  being  found  at  several  different  levels. 

'  In  grave  36  an  infant  burial  was  found  buried  in  a  bowl  exactly  similar  to  No.  20. 
2  The  Arabs  of  to-day  habitually  make  the  edges  of  their  larger  pans  irregular.     On  being  asked  the  reason, 
their  invariable  answer  is,  "It  is  the  custom." 


POTTERY 


33 


No.  14  is  mentioned  first,  as  it  can  be  more  closely  dated  than  the  others. 
It  is  of  light-red  ware  with  a  small,  rough,  fiat  base  showing  the  shallow 
focussed  grooving  illustrated  in  Plate  XV,  A.  There  are  two  holes  just  below 
the  rim  of  the  vessel  through  which  a  cord  could  be  passed  to  hang  it  up.  This 
jar  is  one  of  a  group  of  pottery  fovtnd  with  burial  23- 

No.  8  is  hand-made  and  of  very  crude  workmanship.  It  has  two  irregular 
small  holes  for  suspension.  It  is  a  dingy- white,  which  seems  to  be  the  natural 
color  of  the  clay,  and  it  has  been  very  well  baked.  Traces  of  a  dark-colored 
substance  were  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  jar,  but  in  too  small  a  quantity  for 
analysis.  This  vessel  has  a  pronounced  cup-like  base,  in  which  respect  it  re- 
sembles No.  9.  No.  9  is  very  roughly  made  of  dark-red  clay.  No.  10  is  on 
the  whole  well  made,  and,  like  No.  1 1 ,  has  a  well-defined  rim  around  it  at  the 
junction  of  the  shoulder  and  body.  The  latter  example  is,  however,  ver^'  irregu- 
lar in  fonn.  No.  12  is  also  of  a  light-red  clay.  It  would  appear  to  have 
been  treated  in  some  way  to  make  it  non-porous.  Its  base  is  slightly  concave. 
No.  13  was  so  hard  baked  as  to  become  almost  vitrified.  It  is  roughly  made, 
and  on  a  slow  wheel  as  its  base  shows  focussed  scoring.  Possibly  it  is  a  throw- 
out  owing  to  bad  filing. 

Fig.  15  illustrates  a  quaint  jar  of  a  light -yellow  color  and  very  roughly 
made.  The  base  is  flat,  oval  in  shape,  and  shows  focussed  grooving.  The  mouth 
also  was  oval,  but  the  opposite  sides  of  the  rim  were  pressed  together  in  the 
middle  so  as  to  form  two  mouths.  A  hole  has  been  bored  through  the  pressed- 
in  portion  of  the  rim  to  take  a  cord.^ 

The  traces  of  a  black  substance  in  jar  8  perhaps  give  us  a  clue  to  the  pur- 
pose of  these  suspended  jars.  They  possibly  served  to  hold  a  fat  or  oint- 
ment which  was  sufficiently  expensive  to  cause  the  jars  containing  it  to  be 
hung  up  out  of  the  way.  All  these  jars  are  small  enough  to  permit  of  a  finger 
being  inserted  down  to  the  bottom,  except  No.  15,  which,  owing  to  the  shape 
and  size  of  its  two  mouths,  could  hardly  have  been  used  for  anything  very 
viscous.  The  small  size  of  these  jars,  and  especially  of  Nos.  10-12,  coupled 
with  the  roughness  of  their  make  and  very  obvious  finger-markings,  at  first 
led  to  the  belief  that  they  were  made  by  children  to  play  with.  The  holes, 
however,  we  think,  preclude  this  theory. 

All  these  jars,  with  the  exception  of  Nos.  ij-15,  are  hand-made. 

FLAT-BASED  POTTERY    TYPE  K    Plate  XV 

The  potter\^  included  under  this  title  is  the  type  most  commonly  found 
in  the  cemeter}^  On  reference  to  the  plate,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  hea^^ 
ware  for  its  size.  The  base  is  thick  and  clumsy,  flat,  and  marked  with  the  scor- 
ing illustrated  in  the  plate  (A) .  A  specimen  of  this  type  of  pottery  was  found 
in  practically  every  grave,  even  the  poorest.  No  especial  position  was  allotted 
to  it.  In  many  cases,  two  examples  were  found  together,  as  Nos.  27  and  40,  16 
and  29.    In  burial  23  three  specimens  were  found  (Nos.  19,  26,  and  36).    Most 


'  This  vessel  must  have  been  worked  into  an  oval  shape  after  it  had  been  removed  from  the  wheel. 


34  REPORT  UN  THE  EXCAVATION  OE  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

of  these  vases  are  simple  in  form  with  plain  rims.  Nos.  34-36  have  more  com- 
plex rims,  especially  the  last.  The  squatter  examples  (Nos.  37  and  38)  seem 
to  be  stages  in  degeneration,  by  which  a  more  dish-like  form  was  reached 
(Nos.  39  and  40). 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  thickness  of  the  lower  portion  and  base  in 
these  jars  is  excessive.  From  this  it  would  seem  that  they  were  in  common 
use,  and  were  made  thus  to  avoid  their  easily  upsetting.  In  the  majority  of 
cases  these  jars  are  roughly  made,  especially  outside.  No.  17  is  exceptionally 
well  finished.  They  vary  from  a  light  straw  color  to  dark  red.  Some  of  this 
pottery  was  washed  over  with  a  thin  cream-colored  slip,  noticeably  Nos.  21,  38, 
39,  and  40.  The  last  three,  it  will  be  noted,  are  the  dish-like  forms.  The  pot- 
tery figured  in  the  bottom  row  of  the  plate  is  of  very  much  the  same  type,  but 
in  these  specimens  spouts  were  made  by  pulling  part  of  the  rim  outward.  In 
reality  we  have  here  a  distinct  type;  but  in  other  respects  these  jars  so  closely 
resemble  the  pottery  described  above  that  they  have  not  been  put  in  a  class 
by  themselves. 

No.  41  is  yellow  in  color  and  very  roughly  made.  Its  base  shows  the 
usual  scoring.  Nos.  42  and  46  were  found  together  in  burial  23,  but  they  differ 
considerably,  the  first  being  exceedingly  roughly  made  and  the  second  of  the 
usual  type.  If  it  were  not  for  the  wheel  striations  and  the  focussed  grooves  on 
its  base.  No.  42  might  be  thought  to  be  hand-made.  No.  43,  like  41,  is  yellow 
and  roughly  made.  No.  44  is  light  red  in  color;  it  is  badly  out  of  shape  through 
overfiring.  It  is  impossible  to  say  with  any  certainty  for  what  these  jars  were 
used.  A  spout  would  hardly  have  been  provided  for  a  water-vessel  of  this  size, 
and  the  only  alternative  is  that  they  were  used  for  milk.  A  spout  of  this  de- 
scription would  be  useful  in  pouring  out  the  milk  after  the  cream  had  formed. 
If  heat  also  was  employed  to  make  the  cream  rise,  the  thick  bases  would  serve 
to  prevent  over-heating. 

ROUND  AND  POINTED  BASE  POTTERY     TYPE  L     Plate  XVI 

Although  these  jars  are  of  many  different  forms,  they  fall  into  one  class 
inasmvich  as  all  their  bases  are  rounded  or  slightly  pointed.  Nos.  1-5  are  very 
similar,  and  of  these  three  come  from  graves,  whereas  Nos.  3  and  4,  which  are 
obviously  of  the  same  date,  were  found  in  the  debris  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ceme- 
tery. These  five  jars  are  wheel-made  and  thin  for  their  size.  They  are  light 
red  in  color,  but  Nos.  2-4  are  coated  with  a  thin  whitish  sHp  through  which  the 
color  of  the  pottery  shows  in  places.  The  ware  is  good  and  on  the  whole  well 
made,  though  all  the  examples  show  striated  surt'aces  with  traces  of  drag  here 
and  there. 

Nos.  6-10  are  very  small  jars,  thick  for  their  size,  of  light-red  ware  and 
wheel-made.  No.  8  alone  comes  from  a  grave;  the  remainder  were  found  ly- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  of  the  graves.  No.  10  is  most  interesting,  as  well  as 
being  the  best  finished  vessel  of  the  group.  Jar  1 1  was  found  in  burial  31.  It  is 
of  light-red  ware  with  a  slightly  irregular  surface  coated  with  a  thin  cream  slip. 


POTTERY 


3.< 


Nos.  1 2- 1 8  are  somewhat  similar  to  type  E  without  a  base.  They  all  come 
from  recorded  graves,  except  Nos.  14,  15,  and  17,  but  they  had  no  definite 
position  in  those  graves.  Not  one  of  these  examples  is  coated  with  a  slip,  and 
their  surfaces  are  rough  and  striated,  especially  No.  18,  whose  lower  portion  is 
marked  by  shallow  finger-grooves. 

Both  Nos.  14  and  15  are  hand-made.  They  were  found  together,  but  re- 
moved by  the  digger  before  their  exact  levels  were  recorded.  Of  the  ornamented 
examples,  Nos.  13  and  19,  the  former  comes  from  burial  14,  and  is  of  unusual 
pattern,  its  rim  and  shoulder  being  decorated  with  five  lines  scored  with  a  point. 
No.  19  comes  from  burial  ii;  unfortunately  its  rim  is  missing.  It  is  light  red 
in  color,  and  has  been  twisted  in  firing.  The  shoulder  is  incised  with  a  num- 
ber of  fine  lines  in  grovxps  of  three  and  four.  Both  these  examples  are  slightly 
pointed  at  the  base. 

CUPS  WITH  HOLED  BASES     TYPE  M     Plate  XVI 

The  jars  numbered  ao  to  25  inclusive  are  of  a  very  tmusual  pattern.  Nos. 
22-25  come  from  burial  2;  each  has  a  small  hole  at  the  edge  of  body  and  base, 
which  was  bored  with  a  stick  when  the  clay  was  still  wet.  The  holes  range  from 
5  to  10  mm  in  diameter.  This  ware  is  rough,  dragged,  and  striated.  No.  23, 
from  burial  18,  is  also  roughly  made.  The  hole  near  its  base  is  2}-^  mm  in  dia- 
meter. Jars  20  and  21  are  of  the  same  type  as  the  foregoing,  but  have  no  drain- 
age holes.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  the  exact  piarpose  of  these  jars.  They 
may  possibly  have  served  as  strainers,  being  filled  with  some  porous  material 
through  which  the  liquid  was  filtered.  The  fact  that  all  the  drainage  holes 
were  placed  between  the  junction  of  the  base  and  body  is  curious.  It  should 
be  noted  that  the  rounded  bases  of  all  these  vessels  would  permit  of  their  being 
placed  in  the  necks  of  larger  jars. 

NARROW-MOUTHED  WARE     TYPE  N     Plate  XVI 

This  type  of  jar  differs  considerably  in  form  as  well  as  in  finish  from  the 
rest  of  the  pottery  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery.  Of  the  six  specimens  found, 
only  two  were  in  graves,  the  remainder  being  scattered  about  at  the  eastern 
end  of  the  cemetery  at  various  levels.  No.  26  is  of  thick,  heavy,  red  ware,  the 
surface  of  which  at  one  time  had  been  so  carefully  smoothed  that  it  was  almost 
polished.  Unfortunately,  it  was  too  badly  broken  and  weathered  to  be  worth 
keeping.  No.  27  came  from  burial  4,  and  is  of  a  light-red  ware  and  rather  softly 
baked.  No.  28,  from  burial  5,  is  light  red,  and  thick  and  heavy  for  its  size.  Its 
surface  also  is  very  smoothly  finished. 

No.  29  is  light  yellow  with  an  exceptionally  smooth  surface,  almost  polished 
in  places,  though  it  shows  slight  wheel-striations  here  and  there.  It  closely  re- 
sembles No.  30  which  is  red  and  coated  with  a  red  slip  which  was  polished. 
This  polishing  appears  to  have  been  done  with  a  smooth  insti-ument,  possibly 
a  piece  of  bone,  after  the  jar  had  been  removed  from  the  wheel.  The  markings 
resulting  from  the  polishing  are  irregular  and  in  short  strokes  of  various  widths. 
The  coloring-matter  appears  to  be  haematite. 


36  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

No.  31  is  of  slightly  different  form.  It  is  straw-colored,  and  even  now 
looks  almost  new.  It  is  wheel -made,  with  a  very  smooth  face  marked  only 
here  and  there  with  fine  striations. 

In  Nos.  28-30,  we  have  a  most  interesting  series,  which  is  dated  to  the 
period  of  the  "A"  cemetery  by  the  finding  of  No.  28  in  btirial  5.  These  jars, 
though  heavy  for  their  size,  are  exceptionally  well  finished,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  examples  Nos.  26,  27,  and  31  belong  to  the  same  period,  because 
they  also  are  so  well  finished.  It  is  impossible  to  say  for  what  these  jars  were 
intended.  From  the  narrowness  of  their  necks  it  is  probable  that  they  held  a 
powder  or  some  other  easily-extracted  substance.  As  they  are  comparatively 
rare,  it  is  possible  that  they  were  imported;  in  that  case  their  apparently  use- 
less weight  would  certainly  protect  them  from  breakage  in  the  event  of  their 
having  to  travel  a  long  distance. 

SIMPLE  DISHES    TYPE  O    Plate  XVI 

The  pottery  dishes  shown  at  the  base  of  this  plate  are  not  particularly 
common  in  the  burials,^  though  they  were  found  in  embaiTassing  quantities  on 
the  site  itself  and  in  other  parts  of  Kish.  They  appear  to  have  been  the  most 
common  form  of  pottery  used,  and  evidently  served  to  hold  food.  They  vary 
very  little,  though  some  are  better  made  than  others;  all  have  a  very  rough 
base  with  characteristic  wheel-scoring.  The  color  of  the  clay  varies  from  light 
yellow  to  dark  red,  according  to  the  degree  to  which  they  were  fired. 

The  table  given  below  shows  the  number  of  pieces  of  pottery  of  the  given 
types  that  were  placed  in  each  grave.  Graves  i,  18,  and  23,  it  will  be  seen, 
each  contained  two  jars  of  the  handled  type,  one  large  and  the  other  small. 
Why  it  was  thought  necessary  to  put  two  of  these  jars  in  a  grave,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  imderstand,  though  it  is  possible  that  each  grave  contained  the  burial 
of  a  small  child  as  well  as  that  of  an  adult. ^  In  practically  every  case,  both  a 
handled  jar  and  a  brazier  were  found.  Wherever  only  one  or  the  other  was 
found,  that  is,  in  burials  1,8,  and  16,  the  bones  had  been  disturbed,  and  it  is 
possible  that  the  brazier  in  the  first  case  and  the  handled  jars  in  the  second 
and  third  were  removed  anciently. 

Next  to  types  A  and  B,  type  C  is  that  most  frequently  found.  It  has  oc- 
curred in  varying  nimibers  in  twenty-one  burials.  In  seventeen  graves,  how- 
ever, not  a  single  example  was  found.  Type  C  is  closely  followed  by  type  K 
which  was  found  in  twenty-one  graves.  The  largest  number  of  jars  of  this  type 
found  in  one  grave  was  3,  but  they  nearly  always  occur  singly  or,  more  rarely, 
in  pairs.  Type  O  was  only  found  in  eleven  graves,  no  less  than  four  examples 
coming  from  each  of  burials  3  and  32  and  three  from  burial  27.  It  is  curious 
that  a  cvip  of  so  simple  a  form  should  be  comparatively  rarely  placed  in  the 
graves,  whereas  it  is  frequently  found  outside  them. 


'  They  were  found  in  graves  3,  7,  11,  13,  16,  21,  13,  27,  31,  32,  and  36. 

2  Unless  the  body  of  an  infant  was  placed  in  an  urn,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  find  traces  of  its  bones 
owing  to  their  extreme  fragility. 


J. 

' 

_J_.. 

1 

i    " 

TABULATION  OF  POTTERY  TYPES 

Asterisk  denotes  disturbed  burial 


Number  of 
Grave 

Sex 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H        1        J 

K 

L 

M 

N 

0 

*    I 

? 

2 

2 

2 

2 

•    2 

M. 

I 

1 

4 

I 

I 

3 

*3 

C. 

I 

I 

4 

*4 

F. 

I 

I 

2 

I 

5 

M. 

I 

I 

5 

I 

I 

I 

•  6 

? 

I 

I 

I 

7 

? 

2 

I 

8 

F. 

I 

9 

F. 

I 

I 

2 

I 

lO 

C. 

♦ii 

M. 

2 

I 

2 

2 

I 

12 

F. 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

3 

13 

F. 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

*i4 

M. 

I 

I 

2 

I 

2 

15 

F. 

I 

I 

I 

I 

♦i6 

M.andF. 

I 

3 

I 

I 

17 

? 

I 

i8 

C. 

2 

I 

I 

19 

F. 

I 

I 

I 

20 

M. 

I 

I 

2 

2 

21 

F. 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

*22 

? 

23 

F. 

2 

I 

I 

3 

I 

*24 

F. 

2 

I 

2 

I 

25 

F. 

2 

26 

? 

2 

27 

F. 

I 

I 

3 

28 

M. 

2 

2 

I 

•29 

? 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

30 

F. 

I 

I 

I 

31 

? 

I 

I 

32 

F. 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

4 

33 

M. 

I 

I 

I 

I 

*34 

M.andF. 

I 

I 

3 

I 

35 

? 

36 

C. 

I 

I 

2 

*37 

? 

*38 

? 

I 

POTTERY 


31 


The  hand-made  jar  (type  J)  is  the  most  uncommon.  Only  one  specimen 
has  as  yet  been  discovered  in  a  grave  (burial  ;^2)-  As  examples  of  this  type 
of  jar,  all  of  which  are  illustrated  in  the  plate,  have  been  found  outside  the 
graves,  it  is  possible  that  this  particular  specimen  was  accidentally  included  in 
the  filling  of  the  grave,  though  it  certainly'  appeared  to  belong  to  the  burial. 

Two  rare  types  (M  and  N)  have  each  occurred  in  two  graves.  They 
were  probably  used  for  some  special  purpose,  hence  the  infrequency  of  their 
occurrence. 


III.    TOOLS  AND  WEAPONS 

The  copper  weapons  foimd  in  the  "A"  cemetery  are  mostly  rather  fragile. 
In  many  cases  they  were  beaten  out  of  thin  sheet  metal,  and  it  seems  likely 
that  some  were  manufactvired  expressly  for  funeral  equipment,  as  they  are 
much  too  thin  for  actual  use.  Daggers  and  knives  are  a  common  feature  in 
the  cemetery.  All  the  daggers  are  provided  with  short  tangs,  to  which  handles 
were  fastened  by  from  one  to  three  rivets.  It  would  seem  that  the  majority 
of  these  handles  were  of  wood  or  some  other  perishable  material,  as  only  four 
have  been  fovmd,  one  silver,  one  wood,  and  the  third  calcite  (Plate  XVII,  Nos. 
9,  12,  1 6).^  Some  of  the  handles  were  fastened  on  with  bitumen  without  the 
aid  of  rivets  (Plates  XVII,  No.  lo;  XVIII,  Nos.  1-3,  5,  6,  8),  and  this  substance 
was  also  used  to  secure  the  blade  more  firmly  in  the  handle  in  many  of  the 
ri vetted  specimens.  As  in  many  cases  fragments  of  fine  matting  were  found 
adhering  to  the  blades,  it  apears  that  the  weapons  were  carefully  wrapped  up 
before  being  placed  in  the  grave.  These  fragments  were  preserved  only  because 
they  were  impregnated  with  copper  salts  and  therefore  resisted  decay.  It  is 
possible  that  they  may  once  have  formed  part  of  the  sheath  of  the  weapon. 
But  whether  this  were  so  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  the  matting  aroimd  the  weap- 
ons was  not  part  of  the  matting  in  which  some  of  the  bodies  appear  to  have 
been  wrapped. 

BATTLE-AXES    Plates  III  and  XVII 

The  two  battle-axes  numbered  i  and  4  in  Plate  XVII  came  from  graves 
ao  and  2.  A  similar  axe  to  No.  4  was  found  in  burial  16,  but  it  was  too  much 
damaged  to  be  dravm.  No.  i  is  made  from  sheet  copper  (see  also  Plate  III, 
No.  3).  It  was  first  cut  to  shape,  and  then  the  upper  portion  was  bent  over  to 
form  a  socket  for  a  handle.  The  end  of  the  loop  forming  this  socket  was  mere- 
ly bent  against  the  top  of  the  blade  and  is  still  free.  Doubtless  it  was  formerly 
tied  down  to  the  blade  and  handle  by  a  thong.  Some  rush-like  material  was 
foimd  adhering  inside  the  socket,  which  must  have  been  employed  as  pack- 
ing between  metal  and  wood.  The  striking  end  of  the  weapon  has  a  curved  edge. 
Though  the  axe  is  so  small,  it  was  doubtless  a  very  effective  weapon.  The 
metal  from  which  it  is  cut  is  3  mm  thick. 

No.  4  was  found  in  pieces,  but  it  was  possible  to  restore  it  sufficiently  to 
draw  it  (see  also  Plate  III,  No.  3).  It  was  cut  from  sheet  metal  about  2  mm 
thick.  This  weapon  could  hardly  have  been  intended  for  actual  use,  as  even 
the  slightest  blow  would  double  it  up.  As  in  No.  i,  the  loop  for  the  handle  is 
formed  by  bending  over  the  upper  end  of  the  blade.  In  its  present  corroded 
state,  it  is  not  possible  to  determine  whether  any  attempt  was  made  to  weld 
or  solder  the  turned-over  end.  The  weapon  will  have  to  be  suitably  treated  to 
remove  the  thick  patina  before  this  point  can  be  settled.     The  striking  portion 

'  The  design  on  the  handle  of  No.  i6  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XVIII,  No.  4. 


TOOLS  AND  WEAPONS  39 

has  been  beaten  to  an  edge.  An  axe  exactly  similar  to  this  one  was  found  in 
burial  16,  but  it  is  in  very  bad  condition. 

The  position  of  the  axe  could  be  recorded  only  in  burial  20,  as  this  grave 
alone  was  undisturbed.  It  was  found  with  a  copper  dagger  vinder  the  pelvis 
of  the  skeleton,  which  suggests  that  the  weapons  were  carried  in  a  belt.^  The 
weapon  numbered  8  in  the  plate  came  from  bvirial  34,  which  was  disturbed 
anciently.  Like  the  other  weapons,  it  was  cut  from  sheet  metal,  which  was 
in  this  case  i  mm  thick.  It  is  crescent-shaped  with  a  projecting  tang  in  the 
middle  and  at  either  end.  This  blade  was  originally  backed  with  wood,  which 
projected  to  form  a  long  handle.  It  exactly  resembles  the  axe  held  in  the  left 
hand  of  the  Sumerian  king  in  an  inlaid  plaque,  which  was  foimd  at  a  lower 
level  (Plate  III,  No.  7).  On  comparing  the  two,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  blade 
was  lashed  to  the  handle  in  three  places.^ 

The  curious  implements  shown  in  Plate  XVII  (Nos.  2,  3,  5,  and  6)  were 
found  in  burials  2  and  16.  Their  purpose  is  difficult  to  explain.  Nos.  2  and  3 
were  found  together,  and  evidently  form  a  pair.  They  were  in  a  disturbed 
grave,  from  which  all  the  bones  had  disappeared  except  those  of  the  feet,  close 
to  which  they  were  lying  together  with  other  objects;  but  whether  this  was 
their  original  position  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Each  is  cut  from  a  fiat  piece  of 
copper.  In  neither  is  there  any  trace  of  an  edge  (see  also  Plate  III,  No.  i), 
Nos.  5  and  6,  found  in  grave  16,  are  not  quite  so  ctirved  (see  also  Plate  III, 
No.  2).  This  burial  also  was  disturbed,  the  bones  of  two,  if  not  three,  bodies 
being  mingled  together  in  great  confusion.^  The  articles  in  question  were  found 
near  one  of  the  skulls,  and  No.  6  was  wrapped  round  the  mouth  of  a  jar  in 
such  a  way  that  it  must  have  been  in  a  soft  or  springy  state  when  placed  in 
the  grave,  so  that  it  was  bent  by  the  pressure  of  the  earth. 

It  will  be  seen  that  both  have  blimtly  pointed  ends  and  taper  gradually  to 
what  must  have  been  the  handle.  This  end  is  roughly  notched  as  if  to  take  the 
thong  which  fastened  on  the  handle.  There  is  no  trace  of  an  edge  and,  like 
Nos.  2  and  3,  these  two  examples  were  cut  from  a  flat  piece  of  beaten  copper, 
2  mm  thick.  These  four  copper  implements  resemble  sickle-blades  in  shape. 
If  used  for  this  purpose,  they  must  have  been  backed  by  long  pieces  of  bone 
or  wood.  But  the  absence  of  any  edge,  or  even  teeth,  I  think,  removes  this 
possibility,  especially  when  coupled  with  the  fact  that  sickles  in  pairs  would 
hardly  have  been  placed  in  graves.  The  two  burials  from  which  they  came  also 
contained  battle-axes,  showing  that  their  occupants  were  of  the  male  sex, 
though  it  is  possible  that  in  the  double  burial  16  the  second  occupant  may  have 
been  a  woman  and  that  these  copper  implements  were  her  property.  Burial  2, 
however,  proves  that  objects  of  this  nature  were  also  btiried  with  men.* 

1  For  the  dagger,  see  Plate  XVII,  No.  1 1 . 

2  A  very  similar  weapon,  but  thicker  and  made  of  cast  metal  was  used  in  Egypt  in  the  twelfth  dynasty. 
The  specimen  from  Kish  is  of  very  primitive  make.     See  also  Plate  III,  No.  6. 

'  No  evidence  as  to  the  sex  of  the  bodies  found  in  grave  i6  could  be  obtained  owing  to  the  broken  con- 
dition of  the  bones. 

*  There  is  a  certain  resemblance  between  these  objects  and  an  implement  carried  by  a  man  on  a  piece  of 
shell  carving  in  the  Louvre,  which  would  imply  that  we  have  here  some  form  of  battle-axe.  If  this  be  so,  each 
blade  would  have  required  a  very  heavy  backing  which  would  not  have  permitted  much  of  the  edge  to  project. 
See  the  Louvre  Catalogue,  p.  389,  and  Handcock,  Mesopotamian  Archae^ilogy,  p.  310,  Fig.  78. 


40  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

These  objects  also  remotely  resemble  a  curious  wand  held  in  the  right  hand 
of  a  female  figure  carved  in  mother-of-pearl,  which  formed  part  of  a  series  of 
inlaid  figures  found  in  the  same  mound  as  the  graves,  but  at  a  lower  level.  It 
is  possible  that  these  objects  were  used  in  dancing.  A  third  suggestion  is  that, 
like  the  strigil  of  the  Romans,  they  were  used  to  scrape  the  body.  They  are 
well  adapted  by  their  shape  for  this  piirpose. 

DAGGERS  AND  KNIVES    Plates  II,  III,  XVII-XVIII 

The  finest  dagger  foimd  in  the  cemetery,  though  not  the  best  preserved,  is 
illustrated  in  Plate  XVII,  No.  9.  In  this  weapon  we  have  the  very  unusual 
feattire  of  a  slightly-curved  blade.  The  handle  is  of  wood  covered  over  with  a 
thin  plate  of  silver  which  is  folded  roiond  it  and  joined  down  the  side.  Three 
copper  rivets  fasten  the  handle  to  the  tang.  It  is  probable  that  a  boss  once 
finished  off  the  handle,  and  that,  as  no  trace  of  it  was  foimd,  it  was  made  of 
wood.  The  blade  and  tang  are  together  210  mm  long;  the  blade  alone  measures 
145  mm.  Owing  to  extreme  corrosion,  it  has  not  yet  been  foimd  possible  to 
measure  the  thickness  of  the  metal  accurately,  but  in  its  thickest  part  it  ap- 
pears to  be  about  3  mm.  This  dagger  was  fotmd  in  burial  16,  in  which  there 
was  more  than  one  skeleton;  but,  as  the  grave  had  been  distixrbed,  its  exact 
position  with  regard  to  the  body  could  not  be  ascertained.  This  weapon  .shows 
a  high  level  of  craftsmanship  (see  also  Plate  III,  No.  4). 

No.  10  was  cut  from  a  fiat  piece  of  copper.  There  are  no  signs  of  rivets, 
but  the  fiat  tang  was  fixed  in  the  missing  handle  with  bitumen  (see  also  Plate 
III,  No.  6,  second  weapon  down).  The  metal  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preser- 
vation, but  is  very  thin,  averaging  only  i  mm  in  thickness.  It  comes  from 
burial  34,  which  was  in  a  badly  disturbed  state.  No.  1 1  is  also  cut  from  sheet 
metal,  3  mm  thick,  and  is  in  fair  condition.  It  has  a  short  tang  with  rounded 
top  which  was  fastened  to  the  handle  by  means  of  a  single  rivet.  This  object 
was  found  lying  under  the  pelvis  in  burial  20  in  company  with  the  axe  illus- 
trated in  the  same  plate  (No.  i). 

No.  12  is  more  substantially  made.  It  is  3.5  mm  thick  in  the  middle  and 
gradually  thins  out  toward  its  edges.  As  it  has  been  shaped  by  hammering,  it 
is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  The  remains  of  a  wooden  handle  were 
foimd  adhering  to  its  three  rivets.  It  comes  from  burial  14,  but  its  exact  posi- 
tion could  not  be  determined,  as  the  grave  had  been  disturbed. 

No.  13  was  fotind  in  burial  28  close  to  the  pelvis.  It  is  in  excellent  con- 
dition, and  is  2.5  mm  thick  in  the  middle.  To  give  additional  strength,  there 
is  a  vein  2  mm  wide  down  the  middle  of  either  side  of  the  blade.  This  is  the 
only  specimen  from  the  cemetery  which  has  this  feature.  The  handle  could  not 
be  found,  but  it  was  originally  fastened  to  the  tang  by  two  rivets  (see  also  Plate 
III,  No.  5). 

No.  14  is  well  preserved.  It  was  lying  on  the  pelvis  in  burial  23-  Its  thick- 
ness in  the  middle  is  2.5  mm.  The  tang  shows  traces  of  the  bitumen,  which 
was  used  to  fasten  on  the  handle  in  addition  to  the  two  rivets.     In  No.  15  the 


TOOLS  AND  WEAPONS  4 1 

blade  is  thickened  down  the  middle  for  additional  strength.  It  is  3.5  mm  thick 
in  this  region.  It  comes  from  a  disturbed  burial  (No.  14)  and,  moreover,  was 
found  broken.  The  vipper  part  of  the  tang  is  missing;  it  probably  held  a  second 
rivet. 

In  burial  4  there  were  no  bones,  but  a  dagger  (No.  16)  was  found  beneath 
a  group  of  badly  broken  pottery.  The  weapon  is  just  over  i  mm  thick,  and 
was  cut  from  sheet  copper.  The  top  of  the  tang  is  missing,  and  may  have 
had  another  rivet.  What  appears  to  have  been  the  handle  was  found  in  close 
vicinity, — a  short  piece  of  calcite  which  at  first  sight  resembles  a  cylinder  seal. 
Owing  to  the  action  of  salt,  this  handle  has  cracked  and  become  irregular  in 
shape.  The  design  on  the  handle  was  a  simple  one  of  incised  lines  in  parallel 
groups  of  three,  crossing  one  another  to  form  a  series  of  lozenges  (Plate  XVIII, 
No.  4).  No.  7  in  Plate  XVII  comes  from  burial  7,  where  it  was  found  just  in 
front  of  the  face.  It  seems  to  be  a  small  knife  or  razor.  The  top  of  the  blade 
is  missing.  As  the  blade  and  tang  together  are  only  40  mm  long,  it  is  possible 
that  this  article  was  once  contained  in  a  toilet-case  similar  to  those  shown  in 
Plate  XVIII,  Nos.  22  and  23. 

No.  I  in  Plate  XVIII  is  a  dagger  of  thin  metal,  less  than  2  mm  thick. 
It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  rivetted  to  the  handle;  but  this  is  not  certain, 
as  the  upper  part  of  the  tang  is  missing.  There  are  traces  of  bitumen  adhering 
to  the  tang.  This  weapon  was  found  close  to  the  knees  in  burial  8.  In  Nos.  2, 
3,5,  and  6  we  have  a  different  type  of  article  that  resembles  a  knife  rather  than 
a  dagger.  They  are  peculiar  in  that  they  possess  long,  thin  tangs  which  were 
inserted  into  handles  without  rivetting.  Their  size  precludes  them  from  being 
weapons  of  offence  or  defence  and  places  them  in  the  category  of  household 
articles.  In  some  respects  they  resemble  spear-heads,  but  their  extreme  thin- 
ness would  have  made  them  useless  for  this  purpose. 

No.  2  was  found  in  burial  5  beneath  a  jar  in  front  of  the  face.  There  is  a 
roimd  tang,  and  the  blade  is  but  a  little  o  ver  i  mm  thick.  It  was  beaten  out 
of  a  piece  of  copper  wire,  of  which  the  tang  represents  the  original  dia  meter. 
It  has  been  badly  bent  through  pressure.  No.  3  was  found  close  to  and  behind 
the  head  in  burial  23.  From  the  objects  found  in  this  grave  it  seems  to  have 
been  that  of  a  woman.  The  knife  blade  is  beaten  from  wire  of  the  diameter 
of  the  tang  (see  also  Plate  II,  No.  16).  No.  5  comes  from  burial  34,  but  its 
position  could  not  be  ascertained.  The  blade  is  .5  mm  thick  (see  Plate  III, 
No.  6,  third  weapon  from  the  top).  No.  6  was  found  in  perfect  condition 
beneath  a  group  of  pottery  in  biorial  4.  It  is  well  made,  but  thin  for  its  size, 
being  not  over  i  mm  thick  (Plate  II,  No.  13). 

RAZORS  (?)  AND  ADZES     Plate  XVIII 

The  objects  shown  in  Plate  XVIII  (Nos.  7-13)  all  have  a  cutting  edge 
at  one  end,  the  other  end  being  either  turned  over  at  right  angles  or  neatly 
rounded  off.  They  were  probably  used  as  razors  or  to  cut  skins  or  clothing. 
No.  7  is  a  thin,  flat  blade,  2  ram  thick  at  the  top,  flat  in  section,  and  tapering 


42  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

gently  to  a  cutting  edge  which  shows  signs  of  much  use.     It  came  from  burial 
23,  and  was  lying  close  to  the  pelvis  of  the  skeleton  (Plate  II,  No.    21). 

No.  8  is  2.5  mm  thick  with  an  edge  at  its  wider  end.  From  its  thickness, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  its  upper  end  is  slightly  notched,  it  is  possible  that 
this  object  is  an  adze-blade.  It  is  well  made  and  shaped,  but  has  been  an- 
ciently broken  at  one  comer  of  the  edge.  It  was  found  just  behind  the  head  in 
burial  33  (see  also  Plate  II,  No.  19).  Nos.  9  and  10  are  of  the  same  type.  The 
former  was  found  in  burial  5  lying  with  other  copper  objects  under  some  pot- 
tery in  front  of  the  face.  It  is  made  from  a  piece  of  thick,  flat  wire,  which 
was  hammered  into  shape,  leaving  a  slight  ridge  down  the  middle.  There  is  a 
fine  edge  at  its  broader  end,  and  the  upper  portion  has  been  turned  over  at 
right  angles.  The  thickness  in  the  middle  of  the  blade  averages  2  mm  (see 
also  Plate  II,  No.  20).  No.  10  was  found  with  a  knife  close  to  and  in  front  of 
the  right  knee  of  the  body  in  burial  8. 

No.  1 1  is  flat  in  section  and  5  mm  thick  at  its  upper  end.  The  edge  is 
chisel-shaped,  but  the  butt  shows  no  signs  of  having  been  hammered.  This 
again  is  probably  an  adze-blade.  It  was  found  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  "A" 
cemetery  about  one  metre  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  (see  also  Plate  II, 
No.  18).  No.  12,  from  burial  4,  was  foxind  under  a  group  of  jars.  It  is  almost 
rectangular,  of  thin  metal,  only  just  over  i  mm  thick,  and  has  a  flat  tang  16 
mm  wide.  The  edge  is  at  the  bottom,  and  is  unfortunately  badly  broken.  No. 
13  was  not  found  in  a  bvirial,  but  lay  beneath  a  wall  provisionally  dated  to  the 
period  of  Dungi.  It  averages  2.5  mm  in  thickness,  and  has  the  usual  cutting 
edge.* 

CHISELS    Plate  XVIII 

The  three  chisels  numbered  13a,  14,  and  15  are  well  made,  in  fact  Nos. 
13a  and  15  still  look  quite  serviceable.  No.  13a  was  found  in  burial  5  under  a 
jar  in  front  of  the  face.  No.  14  was  recovered  from  just  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground  on  the  east  side  of  the  moimd;  No.  15  from  burial  19,  where  it 
was  lying  close  to  the  right  hand  of  the  skeleton.  No.  13a  is  142  mm  long 
and  4  mm  square.  Nos.  14  and  15  are  respectively  10  x  7  mm  and  9x4  mm 
in  cross  section. 

SAW  OR  SICKLE  BLADE     Plate  XVIII 

The  object  numbered  16  is  most  interesting  and  might  be  either  a  saw 
or  a  portion  of  a  sickle-blade.  It  is  a  thin  blade,  only  1.5  mm  thick,  the  lower 
end  of  which  looks  as  if  it  had  been  anciently  broken  away ;  but  until  the  patina 
has  been  removed  it  is  impossible  to  determine  whether  this  is  actually  so. 
One  edge  of  the  blade  is  irregtalarly  serrated.  The  teeth  which  average  i  mm 
in  length  were  cut  with  a  sharp  instrument.  Though  found  lying  by  itself  in 
rough  debris  near  a  group  of  graves,  this  implement  has  been  included  in  this 
report,  because  it  is  possible  that  it  came  from  a  disturbed  grave. 

'  This  tool  is,  of  course,  of  earlier  date  than  the  time  of  Dungi. 


IV.     HOUSEHOLD  AND  TOILET  ARTICLES 

SPINDLES     Plate  XVIII 

The  spindle  numbered  17  in  this  plate  is  the  only  one  that  has  been  found 
in  the  "A"  cemetery  up  to  the  present.  It  lay  in  front  of  and  at  some  distance 
from  the  face  of  burial  21.  The  metal  portion  is  a  copper  rod,  now  123  mm  long 
and  3  mm  in  diameter.  Unfortunately,  the  top  of  the  rod  is  corroded  away. 
The  lower  end  is  square  in  section  immediately  below  the  whorl,  and  teiTni- 
nates  in  a  simple  hook.  The  whorl  is  hemispherical  in  shape  and  made  of  a 
porous,  white  paste  which  was  formerly  glazed.  It  still  shows  a  faint  green  tint 
which  may  once  have  been  blue.  It  is  25.5  mm  in  diameter  and  11  mm  deep 
(see  also  Plate  III,  No.  5).  The  two  whorls  numbered  18  and  19  in  the  same 
plate  must  have  come  from  similar  spindles.  They  were  found  just  below 
the  surface  of  the  south  slope  of  the  cemetery  mound,  and  had  possibly  been 
washed  out  of  neighboring  burials. 

No.  18  is  made  of  shell,  and  is  cone-shaped.  It  is  20  mm  in  diameter  at 
the  base  and  14  mm  high,  and  is  ornamented  with  four  triangles  incised  in 
the  shell.  A  small  piece  of  lapis  lazvili  was  formerly  inset  in  a  small  round 
depression  in  the  centre  of  each  triangle.  No.  19  is  very  similar  to  No.  18, 
and  measures  22  mm  in  diameter  and  9  mm  in  height.  It  also  is  made  of 
shell,  but  is  not  so  well  preserved;  it  is  somewhat  powdery  owing  to  the  action 
of  salt.  The  design  upon  it  consists  of  three  triangles,  the  spaces  between 
which  ai-e  halved  across,  and  in  the  middle  of  each  triangle  a  depression  re- 
mains in  which  lapis  lazuli  was  once  inlaid.  Both  these  whorls  were  cut  from 
the  apex  of  a  shell;  their  bases  show  the  arrangement  of  its  convolutions.' 

The  objects  numbered  20  and  21  come  from  grave  34,  which  was  pillaged 
anciently;  its  contents  were  in  great  confusion.  No.  21  is  a  fragment  of  a  handle 
made  of  glazed  pottery,  formerly  blue  in  color,  but  now  light  green.  It 
is  possible  that  it  belonged  to  the  knife  numbered  5  in  the  same  plate.  The 
long  handle  (No.  21),  however,  does  not  fit  any  of  the  copper  objects  found  in 
grave  34.  It  is  now  127  mm  long  by  19  mm  in  diameter  at  its  widest  part  and 
14  mm  at  its  narrowest.  It  is  made  of  a  porous,  white  paste.  The  color  of  the 
glaze  has  long  since  disappeared,  but  there  is  a  slight  trace  of  green  here  and 
there.  A  shallow  spiral  groove  5  mm  wide  has  been  cut  in  the  paste  to  take 
a  black  substance  resembling  bitumen,  which  was  smoothed  off  flush  with  the 
surface.  This  latter  must  have  been  run  in  after  the  glazing  was  done,  as  its 
melting-point  is  very  much  lower.  A  small  hole  was  pierced  at  78  mm  from 
the  rounded  top  of  the  handle,  presumably  for  a  cord.  The  handle  is  entirely 
hand-made,  and  is  slightly  irregular  in  shape  (see  also  Plate  III,  No.  6).  An 
exactly  similar  handle  was  found  in  minute  pieces  in  the  same  grave. 


'  A  similar  whorl  to  these  two  was  found  in  burial  23,  but  in  too  bad  a  state  to  be  drawn.    It  was  19.5 
mm  in  diameter  and  10  mm  in  height.    No  trace  of  its  spindle  could  be  found. 

43 


44  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

TOILET  CASES     Plate  III,  No.  6;  Plate  XVIII,  Nos.  22  and  23 

Nos.  22  and  23  are  toilet  sets  which  both  came  from  grave  34.  The  second 
and  better  preserved  specimen  is  a  cone-shaped  case  made  of  sheet  copper  with 
the  edges  slightly  overlapped.  It  measures  15  mm  in  diameter  at  the  open 
mouth  and  is  72  mm  long.  The  point  of  the  case  is  ornamented  by  a  thin 
band  of  silver  3  mm  wide,  and  a  similar  band  seems  to  have  ornamented  the 
top  of  the  case  8  mm  from  the  edge,  as  the  impression  of  it  still  remains,  and 
there  is  a  small  rivet  hole  on  either  side.  The  case  contains  three  small  copper 
insti-uments  on  a  copper  ring.  But,  owing  to  corrosion,  they  have  stuck  to 
each  other  and  to  the  case,  and  proper  treatment  will  be  necessary  before  they 
can  be  removed  for  examination.  No.  22  is  not  at  all  well  preserved,  and  the 
point  of  the  case  is  missing.  It  is  made  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  No.  23, 
but  has  no  silver  bands. 

A  third  toilet-case  was  fomid  in  grave  16,  but  so  badly  broken  that  it 
covild  not  be  drawn.  It  was  possible,  however,  to  examine  its  contents,  which 
were  fotmd  to  be  two  small,  pointed  rods  and  a  thin,  blade-like  piece  of  metal. 
It  is  difficult  to  avoid  concluding  that  even  in  those  far-off  days  the  belles  of 
Sumer  manicured  their  hands. 

HAIR  ORNAMENTS     Plate  XIX 

The  number  of  hair-pins  worn  by  the  Sumerian  women  of  the  period  of  the 
"A"  cemetery  varied  between  one  and  three.  In  graves  8,  9,  13,  16,  21,  23,  and 
24,  two  were  foimd;  and  from  each  of  graves  12  and  15  no  less  than  three 
were  taken.  The  number  of  these  pins  that  were  worn,  in  conjunction  with 
their  very  considerable  weight,  would  indicate  that  the  coiffure  of  the  period 
was  elaborate.  It  perhaps  resembled  that  of  the  women  of  the  Far  East  at 
the  present  day.  Only  the  pins  with  coiled  heads  (Plate  XIX,  Nos.  5-8)  were 
found  in  male  as  well  as  in  female  biuials  (graves  4,  14,  31,  and  23)  <  ^^^  it  is 
probable  that  this  type  of  pin  was  used  as  a  tool  rather  than  as  a  hair-pin. 
One  pin  of  this  type,  however,  came  from  grave  15,  which  also  contained  pins 
that  were  obviously  intended  for  the  hair.  It  would  seem  that  hair-pins  were 
worn  as  such  only  by  women. 

The  four  pins  (Nos.  1-4  in  Plate  XIX)  are  made  of  copper.  They  are 
flattened  in  the  middle,  and  the  top  is  bent  over  at  right  angles.  They 
appear  to  be  hair  ornaments,  for  they  were  all  found  close  to  the  head.  No.  2, 
however,  is  of  some  weight  and  length,  and  must  have  been  a  cumbersome 
object  to  wear  in  the  hair.  The  flattened  central  portion  of  the  pin  was  pos- 
sibly contrived  to  prevent  the  pin  from  twisting  round  in  the  hair.  This  por- 
tion is  ornamented  in  two  of  the  pins,  and  when  the  remainder  of  the  pins 
have  been  properly  cleaned,  it  is  possible  that  they  also  will  be  found  to  be  simi- 
larly ornamented.  In  Nos.  3  and  4  a  small  hole  was  bored  through  this  por- 
tion of  the  pin.  There  is  a  similar  hole  in  most  of  the  other  types  of  pins,  in- 
tended, it  wovild  seem,  to  take  a  small  metal  ring,  as  shown  in  the  broken  pin 
numbered  26.    This  ring,  however,  seems  to  have  been  easily  lost,  as  only  the 


HOUSEHOLD  AND  TOILET  ARTICLES  45 

one  example  has  been  found.  It  was  probably  intended  that  a  strand  of  hair 
should  be  passed  through  the  ring  to  prevent  the  pin  from  slipping  from  the 
head.     In  all,  seven  pins  of  this  type  were  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery. 

No.  I  was  fotind  with  No.  14  lying  in  front  of  the  neck  in  burial  12.  It  is 
1 80  mm  long.  The  curved  head  was  ornamented  with  a  disk-shaped  came- 
lian  bead,  the  tip  of  the  pin  being  filed  to  receive  the  head  and  burred  over 
slightly  to  hold  it  in  place.  There  is  a  simple  design  incised  on  the  flattened 
portion  of  the  pin  (see  also  Plate  II,  No.  10). 

No.  2  is  by  far  the  biggest  specimen  fotuid  so  far;  it  is  267  mm  long.  Its 
head  is  hemispherical  and  made  of  white  paste  with  fluted  sides  (probably  at 
one  time  glazed).  A  thin  silver  plate  partially  covers  the  top  of  the  head,  and 
the  whole  effect  is  that  of  a  conventional  flower.  The  pin  itself  is  square  in 
section  immediately  behind  its  head,  then  flattens  out  lozenge-shape  in  the 
middle,  below  which  it  rounds  off  toward  the  point.  The  design,  if  any,  on 
the  flattened  portion  is  until  treatment  entirely  concealed  by  patina.  This 
pin  was  found  in  burial  23  lying  close  to  and  at  the  back  of  the  head. 

No.  3  lay  in  front  of  the  face  in  burial  9.  It  measures  184  mm  in  length. 
It  is  of  the  same  shape  as  the  other  pins,  except  that  it  has  a  more  pronounced 
bend  at  the  top,  which  may,  however,  be  accidental.  There  is  an  incised  design 
on  one  side  of  the  middle  portion.  The  bead  is  missing  from  the  head  of  the 
pin;  and,  as  it  could  not  be  found,  it  is  to  be  surmised  that  it  was  of  wood  and 
has  decayed  (see  also  Plate  II,  No.  12).  A  very  similar  pin  to  this  one  was 
found  in  grave  15. 

No.  4  has  no  point.  The  head  is  ornamented  with  a  lapis-lazuli  bead  cap- 
ped by  a  thin,  dome-shaped  piece  of  silver.  It  was  taken  from  burial  16;  but, 
owing  to  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  grave,  its  exact  position  could  not  be 
noted.  A  very  similar  type  of  pin  to  No.  3  was  found  in  burial  27.  It  was 
unfortvmately  removed  by  a  digger  before  its  exact  position  could  be  recorded. 
It  measured  132  mm  in  length,  and  the  head  was  ornamented  with  a  large, 
white  bead  which  criunbled  to  powder  directly  it  was  lifted.  The  middle  por- 
tion appears  to  have  a  pattern  incised  upon  it,  but  it  is  at  present  hidden  by 
the  patina.  Grave  34  also  contained  a  pin  of  this  type,  but  in  fragments 
owing  to  the  burial  having  been  disturbed.  It  appears  to  have  been  cut  out 
of  a  piece  of  sheet  metal,  and  a  rovind  paste  bead  was  found  in  a  powdery 
condition  close  to  its  tip. 

PINS  WITH  COILED  HEADS     Plates  IV  and  XIX 

A  very  simple  form  of  hair  ornament  was  made  by  slightly  flattening 
one  end  of  a  copper  rod  and  coiling  it  to  form  a  head.  Only  six  specimens  of 
this  type  have  been  found,  four  of  which  are  shown  as  Nos.  5,  6,  7  and  8  in 
Plate  XIX.  Not  one  of  these  pins  is  perforated  with  the  hole  so  common  in 
the  other  types,  but  perhaps  no  ring  was  needed  owing  to  the  small  size  of  the 
pin.  The  position  of  the  two  first  specimens  illustrated  could  not  be  noted,  as 
they  were  found  in  graves  in  which  but  few  vestiges  of  bones  remained.     The 


46  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KTSH 

third  was  lying  close  to  and  in  front  of  the  pelvis,  where  it  may  have  fallen 
when  the  body  was  placed  in  the  grave.   The  fourth  lay  in  front  of  the  head. 

No.  5  was  taken  from  grave  4.  It  is  93  mm  long,  and  was  made  from  a 
copper  rod  3.5  mm  in  diameter.  The  head  of  this  pin  is  ver^'  slightly  coiled 
so  that  it  forms  a  small  eye.  No.  6  from  burial  14  is  145  mm  long  and  6  mm 
in  diameter.  Its  head  has  been  but  slightly  flattened,  but  it  is  tightly  coiled. 
Two  pins  of  this  type  were  foxuid  in  this  grave.  No.  7,  fovind  in  gi-ave  31,  is 
100  mm  long.  Its  flattened  head  is  rolled  over  several  times  to  form  a  whorl 
(see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  7).  No.  8,  from  burial  15,  is  made  from  copper  wire 
4.5  mm  in  diameter.  The  head  has  been  beaten  into  ribbon  form  and  twisted 
up  into  a  large  tight  coil  (see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  8).  A  pin  of  this  type  from 
grave  23  measures  147. 5  mm  in  length  by  6.5  mm  in  diameter  at  the  thickest 
part.  Its  upper  end  is  slightly  flattened  and  rolled  over  once.  The  pins  in 
graves  14  and  23  were  both  found  in  what  are  presumed  to  have  been  male 
burials.  They  may  not,  therefore,  have  been  intended  for  use  as  hair-pins,  but 
rather  as  some  kind  of  borer.  It  must,  however,  be  admitted  that  the  pin  in 
grave  23  ^^Y  behind  the  head.  The  position  of  the  pin  in  burial  14  vmfortu- 
nately  could  not  be  determined  owing  to  the  bones  being  disturbed.  Service- 
able daggers  were  found  in  both  these  graves,  which  could  hardly  have  belonged 
to  the  funeral  equipment  of  a  woman. 

ANIMAL-HEADED  PINS     Plates  II,  IV  and  XIX 

The  four  pins  illustrated  by  Nos.  12,  13,  and  14  are  the  only  ones  that 
were  found  of  their  type.  Nos.  13  and  14  appear  to  have  been  cast,  and  the 
design,  as  far  as  can  be  seen  until  the  incrustation  has  been  removed,  is  a  bull's- 
head.  No.  12  is  113  mm  long,  and  the  shank  is  4.5  mm  in  diameter  just  below 
the  head.  The  latter  is  formed  by  first  flattening  out  the  rod  and  then  fretting 
out  the  horns  and  ears  of  an  ox  from  the  flattened  portion.  A  rough  semblance 
of  the  actual  head  of  the  animal  was  ingeniously  contrived  by  bending  a  strip 
of  metal  over  between  the  honas.  This  pin  was  found  in  btorial  13  lying  in 
front  of  the  face  together  vidth  a  pin  identical  with  No.  27  (see  also  Plates 
II,  No.  14,  and  IV,  No.  15).  No.  13  was  discovered  in  a  building  some  dis- 
tance from  the  cemetery,  but  it  has  been  included  for  the  sake  of  comparison. 
The  face  appears  to  be  human,  but,  as  it  is  very  incrustated  with  patina,  it 
will  have  to  be  cleaned  before  this  point  can  be  determined.  No.  14,  from 
burial  12,  was  found  in  front  of  the  neck  of  the  body.  It  is  200  mm  long,  with 
a  round  shaft  tapering  to  a  point.  The  head  appears  to  be  that  of  an  ox  with 
short,  curved  honis,  but  this  again  can  only  be  decided  after  the  removal  of  the 
crust  that  covers  it  (see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  14).  A  similar  pin  to  No.  13,  found 
in  burial  25,  was  in  too  corroded  a  condition  to  be  drawn  (Plate  IV,  No.  13). 

SIMPLE  HAIR-PINS    Plate  XIX 

The  commonest  form  of  pin  is  a  straight  rod  tapering  gently  to  a  point 
with  either  a  plain,  rounded  head  or  topped  with  a  bead  of  lapis  lazuli  or 
glazed  paste.     The  majority   of  the   simpler  hair-pins   are  round   in   section. 


HOUSEHOLD  AND  TOILET  ARTICLES  47 

Some,  however,  are  either  square  (Plate  XIX,  No.  i6),  from  graves  12  and 
15;  hexagonal  (No.  20),  from  graves  9  and  32,  or  octagonal  (No.  28),  in  section 
below  the  head,  gradually  becoming  round  toward  the  point,  from  graves  23 
and  24.  No.  20  is  of  a  simple  type  with  a  plain,  slightly  flattened  head.  It  is 
190  mm  long  by  9.5  mm  in  diameter  at  its  upper  end,  which  is  hexagonal  in 
section.  The  pin  gradually  becomes  round  as  it  approaches  the  point.  It  was 
found  lying  across  the  neck  of  the  body  in  grave  32  (see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  i). 
No.  21,  whose  upper  portion  is  square  in  section,  came  from  a  grave  which  had 
been  disturbed  in  ancient  times. 

No.  22  was  found  together  with  No.  5,  lying  vmder  some  small  jars  in 
grave  4.  It  is  long  and  narrow,  3.5  mm  in  diameter  below  the  head,  which  is 
a  slight  knob  or  boss  measuring  5  mm  in  diameter.  No.  23  came  from  the 
temple  site  beside  the  ziggurat  at  Tell  Ahaimir.  It  has  been  included  here,  as 
it  is  obviously  of  the  same  type  as  the  others  figured.  It  was  probably  brought 
to  the  site  in  the  earth  which  was  used  to  fill  the  foundations  of  the  later 
temple.  No.  25  lay  close  to  the  head  of  the  occupant  of  grave  18.  It  is  108 
mm  long  and  4  mm  in  diameter.  The  head  resembles  that  of  a  nail,  and  is  10 
mm  in  diameter  (see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  3). 

The  ringed  pin  (No.  26)  was  discovered  one  metre  below  the  surface 
on  the  north  side  of  the  cemetery.  A  copper  wire  was  passed  through  a  hole 
16  mm  from  the  top  of  the  pin,  and  its  ends  coiled  on  one  another  to  make 
the  ring.  Unfortvmately,  the  point  of  the  pin  is  missing  (see  also  Plate  IV, 
No.  4).  Pins  with  plain  tops  are  not  so  frequently  found  as  are  those  which 
have,  or  had,  a  head  made  of  stone  or  some  other  material.  As  the  heads  of 
many  pins  of  the  latter  tj'-pe  are  now  missing,  it  must  be  concluded  either 
that  they  were  missing  when  the  pins  were  placed  in  the  grave  or  that  they 
were  made  of  some  material  that  readily  decayed.  This  last  supposition  is  the 
more  probable.  It  wovUd  account  for  so  many  pins  now  being  headless,  though 
the  point  on  which  the  head  was  fixed  still  remains.  Nos.  16-19  and  24  all 
had  bead -like  heads.  The  last  three  came  from  graves;  the  first  two,  from  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  cemetery.  No.  16  is  square  in  section  at  the  top,  and 
gi'a dually  roimds  off  toward  the  point. 

No.  17  has  a  square  projection  to  take  the  head,  but  is  otherwise  roimd 
in  section.  No.  19  lay  on  the  shoulder  of  burial  5.  No.  15  lay  together  with  No. 
24  in  front  of  the  neck  in  burial  8.  A  small  lapis-lazuli  bead  is  fitted  upon  the 
top  of  the  pin  which  was  thinned  to  receive  it.  No.  21  measures  221  mm  in 
length.  Its  upper  portion  is  square  in  section,  and  the  hole  for  the  ring  is 
bored  through  this  portion  of  it.  This  pin  was  picked  up  on  the  surface  of 
the  cemetery  mound.  The  fine  specimen  numbered  27  is  in  excellent  condition, 
and  measures  230  mm  in  length  and  9.5  mm  in  diameter  below  the  head.  The 
round  lapis-lazuli  bead  which  forms  the  head  is  13  mm  in  diameter.  It  lay 
close  to  the  pelvis  of  burial  21  (see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  9). 

No.  28  is  a  small  pin  from  the  pillaged  burial  34.  It  is  151  mm  long  by 
6.5  mm  in  diameter  just  below  the  head.     The  upper  portion  is  octagonal  in 


40  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

section.  The  head  is  of  lapis  lazuli  and  somewhat  out  of  shape.  It  was  firmly 
fastened  on  by  buning  over  the  top  of  the  thinned-out  portion  on  which  it  was 
fixed  (see  also  Plate  IV,  No.  lo).  A  pin  which  lay  some  distance  from  the  head 
in  burial  21  was  so  cracked  and  swollen  by  corrosion  that  it  could  not  be 
drawn.  It  measured  233  mm  in  length,  and  was  surmovmted  by  a  round  bead 
of  lapis  lazuli  1 6  mm  in  diameter.  The  bead  is  capped  above  and  below  by  thin 
dome-shaped  pieces  of  silver  which  leave  but  little  of  the  bead  to  be  seen  (Plate 
IV,  No.  11).  A  copper  pin  from  burial  19  was  round  in  section  tapering  to  a 
point.  Its  head,  9  mm  in  diameter,  was  black  in  color  and  might  once  have 
been  glazed.  Its  composition  is  unknown.  This  head  was  fastened  to  the  pin 
by  means  of  a  small  point  on  the  top  of  the  latter,  bitumen  being  used  as  an 
adhesive.  A  beautiful  pin,  found  in  grave  9  close  to  the  pelvis  of  the  body,  is 
217  mm  long  by  9  mm  in  width  at  its  head.  It  is  hexagonal  at  the  top,  and 
gradually  becomes  rounded  as  it  narrows  down.  Its  six  sides  are  not  equal  in 
width,  two  being  6  mm  wide  and  the  remaining  four  averaging  4.5  mm.  The 
head  of  the  pin  was  of  calcite  or  paste,  and  was  sectired  to  the  metal  by  bitu- 
men, but  it  was  foimd  in  a  powdered  condition  (Plate  IV,  No.  12). 

NEEDLES  AND  BODKINS     Plate  XIX 

Of  the  needles  or  bodkins  ilkistrated  in  Plate  XIX  (Nos.  10  and  11),  No.  10 
does  not  come  from  a  recorded  grave.  There  is,  however,  every  reason  to 
siippose  that  it  has  been  washed  out  of  a  grave  that  formerly  existed  on  the 
side  of  the  cemetery  mound.  It  is  1 50  mm  long.  The  top  has  been  slightly 
flattened  and  perforated  to  form  an  eye.  The  metal  around  the  eye  has  been 
slightly  grooved  lengthways,  as  in  modem  needles,  to  facilitate  threading.  No.  1 1 
from  biuial  4  is  192  mm  long  and  2.5  mm  in  diameter.  This  is  of  a  more 
primitive  type  than  No.  10,  as  its  top  has  simply  been  bent  over  for  11  mm  to 
form  a  rough  eye  7  mm  in  length.  These  needles  were  probably  used  for 
leather  work.  Their  points  are  not  very  sharp,  and  on  this  accoimt  a  hole 
would  have  to  be  bored  first  before  the  needle  could  be  inserted. 

METAL  BOWLS  AND  DISHES     Plate  XX 

Metal  bowls  and  dishes  are  fairly  frequently  found  in  the  "A"  cemetery, 
showing  that  this  type  of  utensil  was  well  loiown  and  in  common  use  in  the 
period  to  which  the  graves  belong.  As  will  be  seen,  these  bowls  and  dishes 
are  simple  in  form  and  of  somewhat  primitive  make.  Their  usual  position 
in  the  grave  was  either  just  in  front  of  the  face  or  immediately  behind  the 
head.  In  grave  21,  however,  where  no  less  than  three  bowls  were  found,  one  was 
placed  near  the  feet.  In  burial  15,  the  one  metal  dish  was  laid  close  to  and  in 
front  of  the  pelvis.  Usually,  more  than  one  metal  dish  was  placed  in  a  grave; 
there  were  two  in  burial  11,  three  in  burial  21,  and  four  in  grave  34.  The 
large  number  in  this  last  grave  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  it  held  more 
than  one  body.  Three  of  the  metal  dishes  had  handles,  as  shown  in  Plate  XX ; 
another  dish  fovmd  in  burial   23    probably   once   possessed  a   handle,    as   did 


HOUSEHOLD  AND  TOILET  ARTICLES  49 

No.  12  also.  In  two  burials  (Nos.  21  and  23),  the  right  hand  rested  on  a  copper 
dish  supported  on  the  left  hand,  as  if  to  suggest  that  these  dishes  were  greatly 
valixed.  Copper,  as  is  well  known,  is  not  a  suitable  metal  for  food  utensils, 
as  it  is  readily  attacked  by  acids.  This  must  have  been  recognized  even  in 
early  times,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  supposed  that  these  bowls  and  dishes  were 
intended  solely  for  drinking. 

Nos.  I  and  8  came  from  burial  1 1  which  was  disturbed,  and  both  were 
found  broken.  No.  i  is  116  mm  in  diameter  at  the  rim  and  63  mm  in  height. 
No.  8  is  a  little  smaller  and  deeper  and  has  a  fiat  base.  Both  are  well  made 
and  carefvdly  shaped.  With  these  two  dishes  a  piece  of  repousse  copper 
(No.  13)  was  found,  whose  shape  suggests  that  it  is  part  of  the  handle  of  a 
dish  which  has  disappeared. 

Nos.  3,  7,  and  9  are  an  interesting  group  from  bvtrial  21.  No.  3  was  placed 
immediately  behind  the  head.  It  is  116  mm  in  diameter  and  60  mm  high;  for- 
merly round,  it  is  now  very  much  bent  and  twisted  by  the  weight  of  the  earth 
upon  it.  No.  7  was  near  where  the  feet  would  have  been,  if  londistiu-bed.  Its 
diameter  is  112  mm,  and  it  stands  27  mm  high.  The  base  is  fiat  and  measures 
48  mm  across.  This  specimen  was  unfortunately  broken,  and  fragments  of  it 
are  missing.  No.  9  is  of  a  more  elaborate  type.  As  it  is  bent,  it  could  only  be 
measured  approximately;  it  averages  143  mm  in  diameter  and  40  mm  in  height. 
The  handle  and  bowl  are  of  one  piece  of  metal,  the  former  being  a  plain  strip 
which  is  coiled  over  at  the  end.  It  was  foiuid  in  front  of  the  face  with  the 
right  hand  resting  upon  it  and  the  left  hand  tindemeath.  It  is  well  made, 
but  bent  and  cracked;  small  fragments  are  missing  through  corrosion. 

Nos.  4,  5,  and  6  come  from  bvirial  34.  Altogether  four  copper  vessels  were 
found  in  this  grave,  but  the  fourth  was  so  badly  broken  that  it  could  not  be 
drawn.  It  was  of  the  same  tj^pe  as  No.  3.  The  positions  of  these  bowls  could 
not  be  recorded,  as  the  grave  had  been  anciently  disturbed.  No.  4  is  87  mm  in 
diameter  and  49  mm  high.  It  is  in  good  condition  with  only  a  small  piece 
missing.  This  bowl  was  made  from  thicker  metal  than  the  others.  No.  5  is  a 
good,  simple  shape,  but  in  a  very  coiToded  state;  it  measures  89  mm  in  diame- 
ter and  36  mm  in  height.  No.  10  is  a  rather  shallow  bowl,  93  mm  in  diameter 
and  26  mm  deep,  with  a  protruding  fiat  base  46  mm  in  diameter.  It  is  badly 
broken.  The  handle  is  simple,  fiat,  and  in  one  piece  with  the  bowl.  It  is  14 
mm  wide  near  the  bowl  and  7  mm  wide  at  the  tip. 

No.  6  was  not  found  in  a  grave;  it  lay  250  cm  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground  in  the  southern  slope  of  the  cemeter}^  It  is  55  mm  high  and  97  mm  in 
diameter.  It  is  in  perfect  condition,  but  it  has  been  pressed  into  an  oval  shape 
by  the  weight  of  earth  above  it.  The  ornamental,  handled  dish  nvmibered  1 1  is 
the  only  one  of  its  kind  to  be  found  in  the  cemetery.  It  was  lying  on  the 
mouth  of  a  jar  just  behind  the  head  in  biuial  24.  Its  base  is,  therefore,  ex- 
ceptionally well  preserved,  though  the  upper  portion  has  been  cracked  and 
distorted  by  uneven  pressure.  It  measures  136  mm  in  diameter  and  2^  ^'^^^ 
in  height.  The  base  is  slightly  convex,  but  this  is  possibly  due  to  its  having 


50  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

been  unsupported.  The  upper  portion  of  the  bowl  is  ornamented  with  shallow 
fluting,  whose  convexity  is  inside  and  not  outside,  as  in  modem  practice,  show- 
ing that  it  was  worked  from  the  outside.  This  dish  is  well  made  and  shows  an 
advanced  stage  of  craftsmanship. 

No.  12  is  unique  in  shape.  It  was  taken  from  bxorial  2,  which  vinfortu- 
nately  had  been  badly  disturbed  anciently.  Its  dimensions  are  approximately 
154  mm  in  length  and  96  mm  in  width.  The  base  and  rim  of  the  dish  are 
rectangular,  and  the  base  is  practically  flat.  The  sides  slope  quickly  outward, 
and  the  comers  are  rounded.  There  was  at  one  time  a  flat  handle  at  one  end 
of  the  dish,  but  this  could  not  be  found  in  the  grave.  Three  other  bowls  were 
foimd  in  different  graves,  which  were  in  too  dilapidated  a  state  to  be  drawn. 
The  first,  from  grave  12,  lay  with  some  copper  hair  ornaments  in  front  of  the 
neck.  It  was  of  the  usual  simple  shape  and  very  similar  to  No.  6.  The  second, 
in  grave  23,  had  a  handle  similar  to  that  of  No.  10.  The  third  measured  102 
mm  in  diameter  and  50  mm  in  height;  it  was  fotind  in  burial  15. 

The  small  bowl  numbered  2  is  made  of  lead.  It  measures  roughly  75  mm 
in  diameter  at  the  rim  and  52  mm  in  depth.  Its  base  is  flat  and  projects  slightly 
below  the  rest  of  the  bowl.  The  metal  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation, 
though  it  has  been  holed  in  several  places  anciently.  It  was  found  in  grave  12 
just  behind  the  neck.  A  very  similar  lead  bowl,  but  not  in  such  a  good  condi- 
tion, was  foimd  in  burial  9,  where  it  lay  behind  the  head  and  beneath  the  cup- 
shaped  base  of  a  jar.  Owing  to  its  being  very  much  dented,  this  dish  could  not 
be  drawn.  It  would  seem  to  have  measured  roughly  40  mm  in  height  and  74 
mm  in  diameter. 

The  use  of  lead  for  cups  is  somewhat  surprising,  as  it  would  be  thought  that 
this  metal  would  not  have  stood  even  gentle  usage.  Yet  the  pure  metal  was 
used,  unmixed  -mth  any  hardening  alloy.  This  fact  is  proved  by  the  ease  with 
which  a  lead  cup  which  was  found  very  much  flattened  was  bent  back  to  its 
original  shape.  Both  the  lead  bowls  described  above  were  thickly  coated  with 
a  yellow  oxide,  which  readily  scales  off,  showing  the  metal  beneath. 

The  usual  thickness  of  these  metal  bowls  was  from  1.5  mm  to  2  mm  at 
the  rim  and  0.5  mm  at  the  base.  The  thickness  of  the  rim  is  the  original  thick- 
ness of  the  sheet  copper  from  which  the  bowl  was  made.  It  is  usual,  even  at 
the  present  day,  to  leave  the  rim  of  a  hammered  vessel  as  far  as  possible  tin- 
touched  and  to  beat  toward  the  centre  of  the  plate,  so  that  the  rim  shall  have 
as  much  substance  as  possible  to  stiffen  it. 


V.    PERSONAL  ORNAMENTS 

JEWELLERY     Plates  IV  and  XX 

The  most  noteworthy  piece  of  jewellery  found  in  the  graves  in  the  "A" 
cemetery  was  a  round  piece  of  silver  with  a  simple  embossed  design.  Specimens 
were  found  in  five  graves  out  of  a  total  of  thirty-eight  excavated.  This  pro- 
portion shows  that  this  type  of  ornament  was  very  frequently  worn,  especi- 
ally as  many  of  the  graves  must  have  contained  male  burials,  and  others  had 
been  rifled.  All  these  medallions,  as  will  be  seen  from  Plate  IV,  resemble  one 
another  veiy  closely.  The  Sumerian  silversmith  seems  to  have  resembled  his 
colleagues  of  the  present  day  in  the  Near  East  who,  conservative  to  a  degree, 
limit  themselves  to  a  very  few  designs.  Another  possible  reason  for  this  want 
of  originality  is  that  these  objects  may  have  been  regarded  as  amulets.  The 
central  motive  of  the  design  may  possibly  represent  the  sun  with  its  rays. 
The  position  in  which  this  form  of  ornament  was  worn  appears  to  have  varied. 
The  position  of  four  of  the  specimens  was  recorded ;  the  fifth  example  was  found 
in  a  disturbed  grave  (No.  i6).  Of  the  four,  two  were  lying  in  front  of  the  neck, 
one  close  to  the  breast,  and  the  fourth  near  the  pelvis.  We  may,  therefore, 
infer  that  these  bosses  were  generally  worn  on  the  breast  and  in  some  cases 
at  the  waist. 

The  fact  that  these  medallions  were  sewn  to  the  clothing  is  proved  by  the 
presence  of  a  row  of  five  or  six  holes  on  either  side  close  to  the  edge.  These  holes 
are  all  roughly  pierced,  and  evidently  made  with  a  sharp  point  and  not  drilled. 
From  this  fact  it  is  evident  that  the  ornament  could  not  be  accidentally  dis- 
placed in  carrying  the  body  to  the  grave  or  in  placing  it  in  position.  It  must, 
therefore,  have  been  worn  in  different  positions  according  to  the  fancy  of  the 
wearer.  Only  two  of  these  pieces  of  jewellery  were  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. 
Silver  is  attacked  by  salt  more  readily  than  copper,  and  some  of  the  specimens 
fell  to  pieces  when  being  removed  from  the  damp  soil.  Four  were  cut  from  very 
thin  silver  plate,  averaging  i  mm  in  thickness.  The  design  is  repousse  from 
the  inside,  and  is  made  up  of  a  central  roimd  boss  surrounded  by  one  or  more 
rings  in  relief.  In  two  of  the  ornaments  the  spaces  are  filled  in  wdth  radial 
lines  made  from  the  outside  with  a  chisel-edged  ptmch.  Owing  to  the  thinness 
of  the  metal,  the  edge  was  in  some  cases  rolled  over  slightly  to  strengthen  the 
medallion.    This  was  somewhat  roughly  done. 

From  the  objects  foimd  in  the  graves  with  these  medallions,  we  must 
conclude  that  this  form  of  ornament  was  worn  by  women  only.  One  specimen 
(Nos.  1 8  and  20  are  two  photographs  of  the  same  object)  was  found  in  a  child's 
grave  (No.  10)  in  front  of  the  neck.  It  is  43  mm  in  diameter  and  i  mm  thick, 
and  its  design  is  as  described  above,  the  outer  of  the  two  raised  rings  forming 
the  edge  of  the  ornament. 

51 


52  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KLSH 

No.  21,  from  bvirial  23,  was  originally  55  mm  in  diameter  and  very  thin 
with  a  flat,  unrolled  edge.  It  is  unfortunately  in  a  deplorable  state  owing  to 
corrosion.  The  design  is  quite  simple  with  a  large  raised  boss  in  the  centre, 
23  mm  wide,  and  two  rings  in  relief.     It  lay  close  to  and  in  front  of  the  neck. 

No.  22  came  from  the  disturbed  burial  (No.  16).  It  is  very  similar  to  No. 
21,  except  that  its  boss  is  larger,  and  there  are  three  rings  around  it  instead  of 
two.   It  measures  46  mm  in  diameter. 

A  medallion  taken  from  burial  32,  where  it  was  found  close  to  and  in  front 
of  the  pelvis,  is  48  mm  in  diameter,  and  the  small  boss  in  the  centre  measures 
14  mm  in  diameter.     Its  edge  has  been  turned  over  to  strengthen  it. 

The  best -made  specimen  (No.  23)  came  from  burial  21,  where  it  was  found 
lying  close  to  the  breast.  It  is  50.5  mm  in  diameter  and  3.5  mm  in  thickness 
at  the  edge.  The  boss  is  made  of  a  shallow,  dome-shaped  piece  of  silver,  20 
mm  in  diameter  and  9  mm  in  height,  including  the  plate,  to  which  it  is  ap- 
parently soldered.  The  central  boss  is  surrounded  by  three  circles  in  relief, 
and  the  ornament  is  chased  both  back  and  front  with  fine  lines  radiating 
outward. 

FILLETS 

A  piece  of  jewellery  which  was  unique  in  this  cemetery  is  a  silver  fillet 
worn  by  the  occupant  of  grave  21.  It  is  a  long,  narrow  band,  still  with  a  certain 
amount  of  spring  about  it;  it  measures  170  mm  in  length,  11.5  mm  in  width, 
and  I  mm  in  thickness.  It  was  adhering  to  the  skvill,  lying  horizontally  across 
the  forehead.  Either  for  ornamentation  or  to  stiffen  it,  both  sides  of  the  band 
were  pricked  all  the  way  along  about  5  mm  from  the  edge.  This  was  done 
with  a  pointed  instrument,  but  without  actually  perforating  the  fillet.  Both 
ends  of  the  ornament  are  roimded,  and  there  is  nothing  to  show  how  it  was 
fastened  to  the  head.  It  was  probably  secured  in  the  hair  on  either  side  of  the 
face  (Plate  IV,  No.  24).! 

EAR-RINGS     Plates  IV  and  XX 

Ear-rings,  both  of  silver  and  copper,  were  frequently  found  in  the  ceme- 
tery. They  were  worn  by  both  sexes  and,  as  a  rule,  in  both  ears.  In  burials 
19  and  21  two  ear-rings  were  fotmd  in  the  right  ear  and  one  in  the  left;  and  in 
burial  9  there  were  two  in  the  right  ear  and  none  in  the  left.  The  two  rings  in 
the  right  ear  of  burial  19  were  one  of  silver,  one  of  copper.  Children  also  wore 
ear-rings,  but  always  made  of  copper.  A  shell  ring  which  lay  in  front  of  the 
face  in  biirial  23  may  possibly  have  been  worn  in  the  nose.  It  measures  19  mm 
in  outside  diameter  and  8  mm  inside  diameter;  it  is  cut  from  a  roimd  piece  of 
shell.  The  ear-rings  found  fall  into  three  groups: — first,  plain  wire,  as  No.  19 
in  Plate  IV,  and  No.  17  in  Plate  XX;  second,  coiled  wire,  as  Nos.  16-17  in  Plate 
IV,  and  No.  18  in  Plate  XX.  Lastly,  a  small  type  with  the  wire  flattened  at 
the  ends,  as  Nos.  15  and  16  in  Plate  XX.    Many  of  the  coiled  rings  do  not 


'  Compare  this  fillet  with  a  similar  ornament  worn  in  the  hair  on  the  alabaster  head  of  a  Sumerian  woman 
of  early  date  (De  Sarzec    and  Heuzey,  D^couvertes  en  Chald^e,  Plate  VI,  Fig.  3). 


PERSONAL   ORNAMENTS  ^2 

match;  that  is,  large  rings  were  worn  in  one  ear,  and  small  ones  in  the  other, 
but  the  rings  of  this  type  were  very  likely  manufactured  at  home.  The  rings 
of  the  type  of  Nos.  15  and  16  in  Plate  XX  were,  however,  probably  made  by 
a  silversmith;  they  were  always  worn  in  pairs.  The  silver  and  copper  wire 
used  for  making  ear-rings  varied  from  2  to  3  mm  in  diameter.  No  soldering 
was  ever  done,  the  ear-rings  being  prevented  from  falling  off  by  the  simple  ex- 
pedient of  overlapping  the  wire. 

BRACELETS     Plate  XX,  Nos.  14  and  14a 

Bracelets  were  not  often  worn.  They  have  been  found  in  only  six  graves 
(Nos.  10,  16,  21,  23,  30,  and  34),  three  of  which  were  those  of  children  or  young 
persons.  The  bracelet  niunbered  14  is  of  copper  and  flat  in  section  with  rounded 
edges.  Its  width  is  5  mm,  and  it  is  2.5  mm  thick.  Two  of  these  bracelets 
were  found  on  the  left  wrist,  and  one  on  the  right  in  bvirial  30.  The  two 
bracelets  from  grave  10  are  made  of  round  silver  wire,  5.5  mm  in  diameter, 
with  the  ends  slightly  overlapping.  Judging  from  their  small  size,  44  mm  in 
diameter,  they  must  have  belonged  to  a  child.  In  burial  21  there  was  a  silver 
bracelet  on  the  right  wrist,  made  of  a  tape-like  piece  of  silver  similar  to  the 
silver  fillet  found  with  this  body,  but  without  the  pricking  along  its  edges. 
A  similar  bangle,  8  mm  in  width,  was  fovmd  on  the  left  arm  of  the  occupant 
of  grave  23.    Both  these  bracelets  were  in  a  deplorable  state  of  preservation. 

In  biuial  34  there  was  one  bracelet  (Plate  XX,  No.  14a)  of  copper  wire 
about  4  mm  in  diameter  and  slightly  oval  in  section.  The  ends  of  the  wire 
overlap,  and  the  diameter  of  the  bracelet  which  is  badly  bent  averages  about 
68  mm.  A  camelian  bead  of  cylindrical  form,  9  mm  long  and  8  mm  in  diame- 
ter, which  was  found  close  to  the  left  wrist  of  bxirial  21,  was  possibly  worn  on  a 
bracelet  of  cord. 

FINGER-RINGS 

Finger-rings  were  exceedingly  rare  in  the  "A"  cemetery.  They  have  been 
found  in  only  one  grave  (No.  23),  where  the  right  hand  which  rested  upon  a 
copper  dish  had  rings  upon  the  third  and  fourth  fingers.  They  were  foimd 
adhering  to  the  phalanges,  and  were  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Each  ring  was 
8  mm  broad.  A  plain,  flat  silver  bangle  on  the  left  arm,  also  in  bad  condition, 
was  the  replica  of  the  rings,  though,  of  course,  larger  in  diameter. 

BEADS    Plates  IV  and  VII 

Beads  were  found  in  considerable  quantities  in  the  "A"  cemetery.  They 
occurred  in  twenty-four  graves  out  of  the  thirty-eight  excavated,  ranging  in 
nimiber  from  a  single  one  to  a  long  string.  They  were  worn  by  both  sexes.  In 
view  of  the  fact  that  several  graves  contained  beads  which  were  originally  glazed, 
but  had  become  extremely  fragile  and  the  same  color  as  the  soil  through  the 
action  of  salt,  we  may  perhaps  assume  that  glazed  beads  were  placed  in  most  or 
all  of  the  burials.  The  materials  most  commonly  used  for  the  manufacture  of 
beads,  apart  from  glaze,  were  camelian  and  lapis  lazuli.    Beads  made  of  these 


54  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

stones  occurred  in  practically  every  necklace,  lapis-lazuli  beads  being  especially 
plentiful.  Silver  beads  were  also  fairly  popular,  they  were  found  in  graves  3, 
4,  14,  and  21.  More  rarely  used  stones  were  limestone  (graves  10  and  13), 
rock-crystal  (grave  23),  jasper  (grave  27),  serpentine  (grave  15),  and  two  stones, 
gray  and  black  respectively,  which  have  not  yet  been  identified  (graves  i  and 
13).  Only  one  specimen  was  found  of  each  of  the  five  last-mentioned  stones. 
Only  one  shell  bead  was  found  (grave  28).  It  appears  to  be  the  shell  of  a 
species  of  Dentalium,  and  is  9  mm  long.  A  number  of  similar  shells  were 
found  close  to  the  "A"  cemetery,  and  had  apparently  also  been  used  as  beads. 

The  beads  of  the  "A"  cemetery  can  be  classified  by  their  shape  into  seven 
groups: — 

(i)     Disk-shaped  beads  with  either  flat  or  slightly  rounded  siirfaces  (Plate  VII,  No.  17). 

(2)  Squat  barrel-shaped  beads,  occasionally  slightly  facetted   (Plate  VII,   Nos.    i,    12, 

and  19). 

(3)  Long  barrel-shaped  beads  (Plate  VII,  Nos.  10  and  21). 

(4)  Long  or  short  cylindrical  beads  (Plate  VII,  Nos.  3,5,  14,  and  20). 

(5)  Squared  beads,  long  or  short. 

(6)  Globular  beads. 

(7)  Ornamented  beads. 

(i)  The  disk-shaped  beads  were  one  of  the  commonest  shapes.  They  form 
a  large  portion  of  the  necklace  illustrated  in  Plate  IV,  No.  28.  These  beads 
vary  considerably  in  quality,  and  may  be  either  highly  or  semi-polished  in 
the  same  necklace.  The  rougher  beads  may  be  of  earlier  date,  and  have 
been  re-used.  Their  holes  for  threading  also  vary  greatly,  ranging  from  one 
that  will  hardly  admit  a  fine  needle  to  one  that  is  two  or  three  millimetres  in 
diameter.  The  process  of  mantifacture  seems  to  have  been  as  follows:  The 
bead  was  first  roughly  chipped  into  the  shape  of  a  roimd,  flat  disk,  and  then 
drilled.  Several  were  then  stnmg  on  a  cord  and  rolled  to  and  fro  on  some 
abrasive  material,  which  roughly  polished  their  faces,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
larger  beads  produced  a  slightly  roimded  surface.' 

(2)  A  sideways  motion  during  this  process  produced  two  facets  separated 
by  a  ridge  in  the  middle  of  the  bead,  so  that  it  took  a  squat  barrel  shape 
(Plate  VII,  No.  19).^  This  method  of  polishing  and  shaping  beads  served  at 
the  same  time  to  smooth  the  interiors  of  their  holes.  The  same  process  was 
employed  m  making  the  beads  of  groups  (2)  and  (3). 

(3)  Owing  to  their  length,  beads  of  this  group  revolved  more  evenly  on 
the  cord;  hence  their  lateral  faces  curved  more  gently,  and  the  central  ridge 
characteristic  of  groups  (i)  and  (2)  is  absent.  It  is,  of  course,  possible  that 
each  of  the  longer  barrel-shaped  cylinder  beads  was  rolled  separately.  The 
thinner  disk-shaped  beads  were  only  made  in  camelian  and, rock-crystal.^    The 


•  This  method  of  making  the  disk-shaped  bead  was  practised  in  ancient  Egypt  from  the  earliest  times. 
There  is  little  or  no  difference  between  beads  of  this  type  from  that  country  and  the  specimens  found  in  the 
"A"  cemetery. 

2  The  amount  of  sideways  motion  depended  entirely  on  how  the  beads  were  strung,  whether  tightly  or 
loosely. 

'  One  rock-crystal  bead  was  found  in  burial  23. 


PERSONAL  ORNAMENTS  55 

thicker  beads  with  a  central  ridge  occur  in  cameHan,  lapis  lazuli,  and  occasion- 
ally in  glaze,  the  latter  always  hand-made,  but  obviously  in  imitation  of  the 
shape  of  the  stone  beads.  The  more  roughly  finished,  disk-shaped  camehan 
beads  are,  as  a  rule,  of  a  brownish-red  color  and  semi-opaque.  The  better- 
finished  beads  are  deep  red  in  color  and  nearly  transparent. 

(4)  The  cylindrical  beads,  whether  short  or  long,  are  usuaUj'  of  glaze, 
camelian,  or  lapis  lazuli.  The  glazed  beads  are  of  the  rod-like  form  that  is  so 
common  in  Egypt  from  early  to  very  late  times.  These  glazed  cylindrical  beads 
seem  to  have  been  made  by  dipping  a  thin  rod  or  cord  into  a  white  paste, 
which  is  probably  g>'psum,  or  a  composition  of  ash.  The  foundation  was  then 
burnt  away,  leaving  a  long,  hollow  rod  of  the  paste.  This  rod  was  broken  up 
into  sections  of  the  required  length  which  were  then  glazed.  The  rod  was 
obviously  not  glazed  entire,  vmless  two  coats  of  glaze  were  appUed,  for  the 
ends  of  the  beads  were  glazed  as  weU  as  the  sides. 

(5)  The  squared  beads  are  always  of  lapis  lazuli.  Specimens  were  found 
with  other  beads  in  graves  i,  3,  and  22.  They  were  cut — presumably  with 
a  saw — from  blocks  of  lapis  lazuli,  and  then  rubbed  smooth,  during  which 
process  their  edges  became  sUghtly  rounded. 

(6)  Globular  beads  are  somewhat  rare.  They  were  usually  made  of  lapis 
lazuK.  They  have  been  found  with  other  beads  in  graves  i,  2,  5,  8,  10,  21, 
22,  and  28.  Those  taken  from  grave  10  are  of  limestone  and  lapis  lazvili;  those 
from  grave  28,  of  glaze.  The  boring  of  a  bead  was  done  from  either  end,  even 
in  the  thinner  specimens,  with  the  result  that  the  diameter  of  the  middle  of 
the  hole  was  often  so  small  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  thread  the  bead.  The 
larger  beads  are  beautifully  drilled,  the  holes  in  most  beads  meeting  accurate- 
ly in  the  middle.  The  drilling  was  probably  done  with  emery  powder  and  a 
thin  copper  rod.  In  each  of  burials  14,  20,  32,  34,  and  36,  one  solitan^  bead 
was  fovind  which  had  been  worn  on  a  string  aroiuid  the  neck.  The  occupants 
of  the  first  two  burials  were  males,  the  third  was  female,  the  fourth  grave  con- 
tained two  bodies,  a  male  and  female,  and  the  last  was  the  burial  of  a  child. 
The  beads  in  burials  14,  32,  34,  and  ^6  were  barrel-shaped  and  made  either  of 
silver,  glazed  paste,  or  cameUan.  As  mentioned  before,  camelian  beads  were 
quite  the  most  popular,  followed  by  lapis  lazuh.  CameHan  beads  were,  as  a 
rule,  highly  polished,  except  in  the  case  of  some  disk-shaped  beads.  For  some 
reason,  which  it  is  not  easy  to  explain,  the  Svimerians  seem  to  have  experi- 
enced great  difiaculty  in  working  lapis  lazuli,  even  though  it  is  softer  than  car- 
neUan.^  Their  lapis-lazuli  beads  all  show  a  certain  amo-unt  of  apparently  unin- 
tentional facetting,  and  are  rarely  true  in  shape.  They  look  as  if  they  had 
been  first  roughly  sa-sNTi  into  shape,  and,  as  suggested  in  the  introduction  to 
this  paper,  the  two  stones  may  not  have  been  worked  by  the  same  people. 
The  lapis-lazuH  beads  fotind  in  the  "A"  cemetery  are  mostly  of  the  tnmcated 
double-cone  type,  as  represented  in  Plate  VII,  Nos.  12  and  19,  or  they  are 
barrel-shaped  as  No.  10  in  Plate  VII. 

'  The  hardness  of  camelian  is  7,  that  of  lapis  lazuli  5.5. 


56  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

(7)  A  very  unusual  type  of  bead  was  found  in  a  necklace  from  grave  21 
(Plates  IV,  No.  27  and  VII,  Nos.  9  and  11).  The  first  flat,  lozenge-shaped  bead 
on  the  necklace  is  made  from  thin  silver  plate,  but  exactly  how,  it  is  difficult  to 
make  out,  owing  to  the  incrustation  of  patina.  It  appears  to  have  been  made 
from  a  thin  piece  of  silver  which  was  doubled  and  then  folded  over  along  the 
three  open  sides.  The  hole  for  the  cord  was  probably  made  by  embossing  the 
plate  down  the  middle  of  each  half,  so  that  the  two  grooves  came  together. 

The  bead  which  matches  it  in  shape  is  of  camelian;  its  edges  are  rounded, 
and  the  hole  is  well  cut.  Another  tmusual  bead  is  figured  in  Plates  IV,  No. 
31  and  VII,  No.  7.  It  is  45  mm  long,  and  was  found  by  itself  in  grave  20. 
It  is  made  of  porous  paste  which  seems  to  have  been  glazed.  What  the  origi- 
nal color  of  the  glaze  was,  it  is  difficult  to  determine;  it  is  now  quite  a  dark 
brown.  The  bead  consists  of  two  globular  portions,  which  are  fluted  in  the 
direction  of  the  general  axis,  joined  together  by  a  bar,  15.5  mm  long,  decorated 
with  seven  annulations.  Both  ends  are  broken,  and  the  bead  may  once  have 
been  considerably  longer  with  a  repetition  of  the  globular  portions.  It  is,  of 
course,  possible  that  it  may  have  been  part  of  some  kind  of  fillet  or  necklace, 
but  no  trace  was  found  of  any  other  portion  of  it. 

The  cylindrical  bead  shown  in  Plates  IV,  No.  32  and  VII,  No.  21  came  from 
burial  14,  where  it  was  the  only  bead  found.  It  is  of  silver,  and  both  ends  are 
slightly  damaged.  It  now  measures  42  mm  in  length  and  8  mm  in  diameter  in 
the  middle.  The  covering  of  patina  makes  it  impossible  to  determine  how  its 
edges  were  joined,  whether  by  lapping  over  or  soldering. 

Bead  23>  in  Plate  IV,  was  the  only  specimen  found  in  burial  32.  It  is  made 
of  a  white  paste,  originally  glazed,  and  its  sxirface  is  now  much  blackened.  It  is 
decorated  with  incised  parallel  lines  rimning  round  the  bead  at  right  angles  to 
its  long  axis,  as  well  as  along  its  axis  so  as  to  form  a  series  of  minute  squares. 
The  limestone  bead  shown  in  Plate  VII,  No.  13  was  foimd  with  two  other 
beads  in  burial  13.  It  is  25  mm  long,  by  16  mm  wide,  7.5  mm  thick,  and  is 
decorated  with  incised  Unes.  The  small  holes  formerly  held  pieces  of  lapis  lazuli. 
Bead  8  in  Plate  VII  is  also  very  unusual.  It  is  made  of  sheet  silver  with  silver 
rings  soldered  on  either  end.  It  was  foimd  in  burial  21  together  with  the  fiat, 
lozenge-shaped  beads  of  silver  and  camelian  described  above. 

A  very  curious,  bright  red  camelian  bead  was  foimd  in  a  necldace  from 
burial  23  (Plate  V,  Nos.  25  and  30).  It  is  15  mm  long  by  5  mm  in  width  and 
4  mm  in  thickness  in  the  middle;  it  is  rectangular  in  shape  when  viewed  from 
front  or  back,  oval  when  viewed  from  the  side.  The  front  and  back  are  smooth- 
ly polished,  but  the  sides  show  signs  of  the  original  flaking.  Both  front  and 
back  are  ornamented  with  a  design  of  three  interlocking  circles  in  white.  These 
circles  have  been  painted  on  the  stone  and  bvimt  in  in  some  way.  The  white 
substance  is  extremely  hard,  and  appears  to  be  vitrified.  A  bead  of  the  same 
type,  measviring  9  mm  in  length  and  8  mm  in  diameter,  was  found  in  a  neck- 
lace from  btmal  21.  Its  highly  polished  surface  is  decorated  with  three  lines 
of  white,  running  zig-zag  fashion  around  the  bead. 


PERSONAL  ORNAMENTS  57 

A  very  similar  bead  to  the  one  with  the  three  circles  was  brought  to  me 
early  in  the  season  by  a  boy  who  said  he  picked  it  up  on  the  "A"  moimd.  I 
unfortunately  rejected  it,  as  I  thought  at  the  time  that  it  was  of  modem 
manufacture.  The  bright  red  of  some  of  the  camelian  beads  found  in  the  "A" 
cemetery  may  perhaps  be  dtie  to  roasting,  as  mentioned  in  the  introduction. 
In  carrying  out  this  process,  it  is  possible  that  the  white  substance  was  by 
accident  foimd  to  adhere  very  closely  to  the  stone,  and  afterwards  this  knowl- 
edge was  utilized  for  decorative  purposes.  There  is  no  indication  that  the  de- 
sign on  these  ornamented  beads  was  first  incised  and  then  filled  in  with  white. 
The  color  adheres  to  the  polished  faces  with  extraordinary  tenacity,  and  can 
only  be  removed  with  the  point  of  a  needle  with  very  great  difficulty. 

A  lapis-lazuli  bead  from  grave  i6  is  roughly  cut  into  the  form  of  a  frog 
(Plate  IV,  No.  26).  It  was  possibly  an  amulet,  and  in  form,  though  not  in 
substance,  resembles  similar  beads  which  are  frequently  found  in  Egypt.  A 
long,  cylindiical  bead  of  serpentine,  48  mm  in  length  and  9.5  mm  in  diameter, 
was  found  together  with  some  short  cylindrical  beads  of  glaze  in  burial  15.  It 
had  the  figure  of  a  ninning  antelope  engraved  upon  it.  It  is  possible  that  in 
reality  we  have  here  a  simple  form  of  cylinder  seal.  The  hole  through  it  has 
been  very  much  enlarged  through  wear.  A  curious  bead  (?)  was  foimd  with 
others  in  btirial  19.  It  is  made  out  of  a  piece  of  sheet  copper  bent  roimd  into 
the  form  of  two  tubes  side  by  side,  each  of  which  is  23  mm  long  and  6  mm  in 
diameter.  If  this  object  is  actually  a  bead,  it  may  have  been  a  divider  for  sev- 
eral strings  of  a  necklace.  It  may  equally  well  have  been  an  ornament  for  the 
hair.  The  latter  seems  more  probable,  as  copper  was  apparently  never  used  in 
the  manufactiAre  of  beads  at  the  period  of  the  "A"  cemetery.  Bead  No.  2  in 
Plate  VII  is  of  lapis  lazuli  and  decorated  with  incised  lines.  As  it  has  two 
holes,  it  probably  served  as  a  divider  in  a  necklace  of  more  than  one  string.  In 
bvirial  27,  a  small  fiat  pebble  was  used  as  a  central  stone,  on  either  side  of  which 
were  two  disk-shaped  beads — three  of  cameUan  and  one  of  jasper. 


VI.    CYLINDER  SEALS 

Seals  were  foimd  in  fifteen  graves  out  of  the  thirty-eight  excavated.  In 
each  of  three  bvirials  there  were  no  less  than  three  seals,  though  only  one  was 
a  double  burial  (graves  1 6,  23,  32).  In  the  undisturbed  graves,  the  seals  were 
usually  fomid  in  front  of  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  which  suggests  that  they 
were  worn  on  a  string  around  the  neck.  In  two  burials  (Nos.  8  and  23),  a 
seal  lay  close  to  the  pelvis,  and  had  probably  been  fastened  to  a  girdle.  In 
grave  31,  a  seal  lay  between  the  hands  and  the  chest;  it  may  have  been  tied  to 
one  of  the  wrists.' 

Seals  are  as  frequently  found  in  female  burials  as  in  those  of  males.  As 
they  were  vxsed  solely  for  sealing  contracts,  conveyances,  and  other  legal  docu- 
ments, this  fact  would  seem  to  show  that  the  women  of  the  period  transacted 
business  on  their  own  account,  and  for  this  ptirpose  had  their  own  seals.  The 
presence  of  three  seals  in  a  grave  containing  only  one  burial  is  surprising. 
Possibly  two  of  these  seals  had  belonged  to  ancestors  of  the  occupant  of  the 
grave,  who  may  himself  have  been  the  last  of  his  family. 

The  favorite  material  for  making  seals  was  shell.  Out  of  a  total  of 
thirty-seven,  twenty -two  are  cut  in  this  material.  Of  the  remainder,  five  seals 
are  of  limestone,  one  of  bituminous  limestone,  four  of  calcite,  two  of  haema- 
tite, one  of  serpentine,  one  of  lapis  lazuli,  and  one  of  glazed  paste.  The  use 
of  glaze  for  cylinder  seals  is  most  unusual,  and  we  were  fortimate  in  recover- 
ing a  specimen  from  grave  i ,  though  it  is  in  a  deplorable  condition  through  the 
action  of  salt.  Each  seal  is  a  practically  perfect  cylinder  with  flat  ends.  In 
only  one  case  is  there  any  trace  of  the  concavity  that  is  met  with  in  seals  of 
the  period  following  that  of  our  cemetery.  This  exception  is  a  limestone  seal 
from  grave  4,  which  has  a  slightly  concave  lateral  surface  and  flat  ends. 

In  those  seals  that  were  made  of  shell,  the  size  was  limited  by  the  size 
of  the  shell  from  which  they  were  cut.  The  axial  portion  of  a  big  shell  pro- 
vided enough  soHd  material  to  make  a  seal  averaging  35.5  mm  in  length  by 
17.5  mm  in  diameter;  from  a  smaller  shell  a  seal  measuring  20.5  by  11  mm 
was  cut.  That  the  whole  of  the  axial  portion  of  the  shell  was  utilized  is  proved 
by  the  fact  that  in  a  great  ntimber  of  the  seals  the  convolutions  of  the  shell 
are  seen  at  either  end.  There  is  little  doubt  that  all  these  seals  were  cut  from 
the  same  species  of  shell. 

A  limestone  seal  from  an  unrecorded  grave,  measuring  30  mm  in  length  by 
16  mm  in  diameter,  is  especially  interesting,  because,  being  only  partially  made, 
it  shows  the  method  of  manufactvire.  It  is  a  cylindrical  piece  of  stone  and 
imbored.  The  figtore  of  a  man  has  been  roughly  cut  on  one  side,  and  a  man's 
head  left  unfinished  on  the  other.  The  workmanship  is  very  rough.  The 
fact  that  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  bore  the  usual  hole  through  it  indi- 
cates that  it  was  customary  to  do  the  engraving  first.      If  this  were  so,   it 

'  In  Iraq  at  the  present  day  both  seal  and  purse  are  worn  on  a  string  around  the  neck. 

58 


CYLINDER  SEALS  59 

argues  great  confidence  on  the  part  of  the  Sumerian  in  his  use  of  the  drill. 
But  it  should  be  noted  that  in  this  particular  instance  the  stone  is  compara- 
tively soft  (Plate  VI,  No.  i).i 

From  the  nabbed  appearance  of  some  of  the  seals  it  would  appear  that 
they  had  been  much  used.  But  their  condition  might  be  accounted  for  by  their 
being  worn  hanging  loose  upon  the  person.  This  would  also  partially  accotmt 
for  the  holes  being  wider  at  the  ends ;  in  some  cases  they  were  6  mm  in  diame- 
ter at  the  ends,  whereas  the  diameter  in  the  middle  of  the  seal  was  only  about 
3  mm. 

The  most  popular  subjects  for  the  scenes  engraved  on  the  cylinder  seals 
are  a  row  of  animals  walking  or  running  in  file  or  one  or  two  lions  attacking 
flocks  defended  by  herdsmen  armed  with  sticks  or  bows  and  arrows.  In  the 
latter  scenes,  the  lions  are  for  the  most  part  arranged  with  their  bodies  crossing 
one  another.  They  are  always  portrayed  as  seizing  the  animals  attacked  by 
the  neck.  This  argues  close  observation  of  nature  on  the  part  of  the  artist, 
both  as  regards  the  lion's  method  of  attack  and  the  fact  that  these  animals 
generally  hvmt  in  pairs.  It  would  seem  that  the  herdsmen  of  the  period  to 
which  these  seals  belong  were  greatly  troubled  by  lions,  though  the  latter  were 
a  smaller  variety  than  the  African  species.^ 

The  long-horned  antelope  which  appears  on  these  seals  was  a  curious 
animal  to  be  domesticated,  as  apparently  it  was;  on  a  votive  tablet  found 
at  Nippur  an  antelope  is  even  shown  drawing  a  plough.  It  was  probably 
present  in  Mesopotamia  in  large  herds  long  before  the  occupation  of  that 
country  by  the  Sumerians.  It  must  have  been  kept  chiefly  for  its  meat;  the 
hair  is  too  short  to  be  utilized  for  weaving.  The  presence  of  these  animals 
coupled  with  that  of  the  lion  would  suggest  that  Mesopotamia  at  the  time  was 
a  semi-arid  country  like  parts  of  South  Africa  at  the  present  day.  The  ani- 
mals portrayed  on  the  seals  are  all  such  as  would  have  been  suited  to  a  flat, 
grazing  comitry;  for  example,  the  ostriches  on  the  seal  shown  in  No.  4  of 
Plate  VI  and  the  various  types  of  antelope  on  seals  3,  5,  6,  7,  10,  etc.  The 
stag  on  seal  16  probably  came  from  the  better  wooded  and  more  hilly  coiontry 
on  the  northern  or  eastern  borders  of  Mesopotamia.^ 

The  human-headed  (?)  bird  on  seals  7,  8,  10,  and  12  resembles  the  heraldic, 
eagle-like  bird  which  was  the  symbol  of  Lagash,  though  it  is  not  represented 
on  the  seals  from  Kish  as  holding  a  lion  with  each  claw, — with  the  possible  ex- 
ception of  No.  12.  The  presence  of  two  registers  on  a  seal  is  rare.  And,  imfor- 
tunately,  the  two  examples  shown  in  Plate  VI  (Nos.  17  and  i8)  come  from 
imrecorded  graves,  though  they  are  certainly  of  the  same  period  as  the  other 
burials.    In  both,  the  subjects  portrayed  are  complex  and  out  of  the  ordinary, 

'  Another  limestone  seal,  also  from  an  unrecorded  grave,  is  unbored,  though  its  design,  a  simple  tree  or 
bush,  had  been  finished. 

-  The  Mesopotamian  lion  has,  I  am  informed,  recently  become  extinct.  Two  specimens  presented  to  Sir 
Henry  Layard  were  described  by  him  as  maneless,  taller  and  larger  than  a  St.  Bernard  dog.  Sir  Henry  Layard 
also  reported  that  he  saw  lions  with  long  and  shaggy  manes  not  far  from  Mohammarah.  Lt.-Col.  Sykes  (His- 
tory of  Persia,  Vol.  I,  p.  34)  reports  having  seen  a  dead  lion  floating  down  the  Karun  River.  The  lions  repre- 
sented on  our  seals  are  certainly  not  of  the  maneless  variety. 

'  Magnificent  stags  and  roebuck  roam  the  forests  of  the  Caspian  Province  (Sykes,  History  of  Persia, 
Vol.  I,  p.  34). 


6o  REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OF  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 

especially  in  the  case  of  No.  17  which  has  an  extremely  interesting  ziggurat  scene. 

A  scene  which  occtirs  in  Nos.  15  and  17  of  Plate  VI  and  on  the  badly 
preserved  seal,  which  is  the  last  on  the  appended  list  (No.  983),  is  most  un- 
usual. Whether  this  human-headed  object  is  intended  to  represent  a  human 
boat  propelling  itself  with  the  aid  of  a  pole,  it  is  difficvilt  to  say.  It  may 
possibly  represent  the  soul  of  a  dead  man  being  carried  across  the  sacred  river 
of  death;  if  so,  the  dead  body  is  concealed  beneath  a  kind  of  canopy  which  is 
shown  in  both  the  illustrations.  The  boat  is  represented  as  being  propelled 
by  itself.  A  small  animal,  probably  a  kid,  is  present  with  this  boat -like  ob- 
ject in  all  three  seals ;  it  would  indicate  that  the  scene  is  of  the  land  rather  than 
of  water.  The  whole  motive  is  probably  mythological,  but  that  it  was  well 
known  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  has  been  found  in  three  separate  graves.^ 

It  appears  that  the  utmost  endeavor  was  made  to  fill  up  every  available 
space  on  a  seal.  It  is  skillfully  done  in  most  cases,  especially  on  those  seals 
which  portray  scenes  of  vnld  life,  whether  the  animals  are  rampant  or  in  file.^ 

Some  kind  of  a  drill  must  have  been  employed  in  engraving  these  seals. 
The  scenes  appear  first  to  have  been  outlined  with  a  small  chisel  or  point,  and 
then  worked  over  with  a  drill.  The  use  of  the  latter  is  proved  by  the  hoofs  of 
the  animals  being  represented  simply  by  drill  holes  in  seal  2.  The  bodies  and 
necks  of  the  ostriches  shown  on  seal  4  were  finished  off  with  a  driU  after  first 
being  cut  with  a  point.  Whether  this  drilling  was  done  with  a  rod  rapidly  re- 
volved between  the  fingers  or  by  means  of  a  bow-drill  cannot  be  ascertained  at 
present. 

In  the  majority  of  the  seals  the  deeper  portions  of  the  cuttings  are  as 
well  finished  and  polished  as  the  surface.  This  finish,  coupled  with  the  extra- 
ordinary powers  of  composition  shown  in  the  scenes  themselves,  proves  that 
the  art  of  seal-cutting  and  design  was  at  a  very  high  level  indeed  at  this  period. 
The  use  of  the  same  symbols  for  various  deities  as  were  employed  in  the  later 
periods  of  Babylonian  history  is  very  interesting;  as,  for  example,  the  star 
and  crescent  in  Nos.  14  and  16  and  the  crescent  in  No.  5.  The  crescent  is 
emblematic  of  the  moon-god;  the  star,  of  the  goddess  Ishtar.  It  is  possible 
that  the  four  roimdels  which  are  clustered  about  the  star  of  Ishtar  in  seal  No. 
14  represent  planets.  These  symbols  do  not  seem  to  have  any  connection  with 
the  scenes  they  accompany.  They  were  probably  simply  intended  to  fill  up 
what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  blank  space  on  the  seal. 

The  garment  worn  by  all  the  human  figures  on  seals  13,  14,  16-18,  is 
the  kaunakes,  or  short  kilt,  whose  lower  edge  in  the  early  period  is  formed  by 
a  single  row  of  fringe.  In  two  seals  (Nos.  14  and  16),  the  figures  also  seem 
to  be  wearing  a  shawl  which  is  draped  across  the  right  shoulder  and  under  the 
left  arm.  If  this  be  so,  the  arrangement  of  the  garment  is  unusual;  it  is  nearly 
always  shown  the  other  way  about,  leaving  the  right  arm  free  for  action.     The 


'  Mr.  Gadd  tells  me  that  a  seal  with  a  very  similar  design  was  found  at  Ur  this  season. 

2  For  the  best  example  of  the  fiUing-up  of  every  vacant  space  on  a  seal,  observe  the  heraldic  tail  of  the  lion, 
Plate  VI,  No.  5.  This  could  not  be  done  in  the  case  of  the  antelope,  and  a  crescent  was  substituted  which  has 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  design.  Also  note  the  unfinished  figure  of  a  man  in  front  of  the  antelope 
and  the  scorpion  above  the  lion's  tail. 


CYLINDER  SEALS  6 1 

figures  in  seal  19  at  first  sight  appear  to  be  nude,  but  the  kilts  have  simply  been 
rolled  up  around  the  waist. 

The  figiu-es  in  the  seal  from  grave  12  (Plate  VI,  No.  19)  and  in  a  seal 
from  an  unrecorded  grave  appear  to  be  wearing  two  feathers.  If  these  orna- 
ments are  feathers,  they  are  probably  those  of  the  ostrich. 

The  seals  included  in  the  appended  list  all  belong  to  the  same  period. 
The  majority  come  from  recorded  graves  in  the  "A"  cemetery,  and  most  of  the 
remainder  from  the  site  known  as  "N,"  situated  about  half  a  mile  N.N.W.  of 
the  "A"  cemetery  (see  Plate  VII). 

No.  I.  30  mm  long,  16  mm  in  diameter.  Limestone.  "A"  cemetery.  Unfinished  and  un- 
bored.  Figure  of  a  man  with  bird's  legs,  a  stone  (?)  in  left  hand.  Suspended  from  the 
left  arm  is  what  may  be  a  bow.  Close  to  and  in  front  of  the  figure  is  the  unfinished 
head  of  another  figure  (No.  1329). 

24  by  II  mm.  Haematite.  "A"  cemetery.  Two  homed  animals  running.  One  ani- 
mal is  looking  back.    Crudely  cut,  but  very  spirited  (No.  934).    In  Field  Museum. 

17  by  9-5  ii^rri-  Serpentine.  Vicinity  of  "N".  Two  long-homed  antelopes  in  file.  In 
front  of  first  animal  is  what  appears  to  be  a  tree  or  bush  (No.  928). 

14  by  II  mm.  Calcite.  Vicinity  of  "N."  Two  animals  resembling  ostriches  running. 
A  thicket  is  represented  behind  them  (No.  894).    In  Field  Museum. 

16.5  by  10  mm.  Shell.  Grave  23.  An  antelope  with  long  horns  curving  backward 
is  standing  in  front  of  a  lion.  A  crescent  is  shown  over  the  body  of  the  antelope,  and 
a  scorpion  above  the  looped  tail  of  the  lion  (No.  1288). 

12  by  8  mm.  Shell.  "A"  cemetery.  Slightly  oval  in  section.  Roughly  cut  figure 
of  an  antelope  running  through  a  thicket  (No.  927). 

32.5  by  17  mm.  Shell.  "A"  cemetery.  Two  registers,  no  line  of  separation.  In  the 
lower  register,  a  line  of  antelopes  with  long  horns  curving  backward.  In  the  upper 
register,  an  eagle  with  outspread  wings  grasping  in  each  claw  the  leg  of  an  antelope 
which  is  looking  backward.  Another  object  between  the  antelopes  is  indistinct  (No. 

1277).    In  Field  Museum. 

0 

No.  8.  17  by  8.5  mm.  Shell.  "A"  cemetery.  An  eagle  with  outspread  wings  beside  two 
antelopes,  one  of  which  is  eating  from  a  bush  (No.  843). 

No.  9.  20  by  II  mm.  Haematite.  "A"  cemetery.  Roughly  cut  and  shaped.  Figure  of  a 
man  protecting  an  antelope  from  a  lion  (No.  1109). 

No.  10.  21  by  10  mm.  Shell.  Grave  8.  Worn  and  roughly  cut.  Two  registers.  In  the  up- 
per register,  an  eagle  with  outspread  wings  and  other  objects  which  are  indistinct. 
In  the  lower  register,  a  row  of  antelopes  with  long  horns  (No.  985). 

No  II.  20  by  9  nun.  Shell.  Vicinity  of  "N."  Two  lions  with  bodies  crossed,  each  attacking 
an  antelope.  Two  snakes  standing  on  their  tails  with  their  bodies  twisted  together 
in  rope-fashion  (No.  773). 

No.  12.  25.5  by  12  mm.  Shell.  "A"  cemetery.  A  little  weathered.  An  eagle  with  outspread 
wings  with  one  claw  grasping  an  antelope  looking  backward,  \vith  the  other  a  lion 

(No.  1348). 

No.  13.  36  by  19  mm.  Shell.  Grave  21.  Rather  worn.  A  lion  attacking  two  antelopes  in  the 
presence  of  a  figure  seated  before  a  shrine  (No.  1333). 

No.  14.  36  by  20  mm.  Shell.  Grave  24.  Somewhat  worn.  Two  lions  attacking  an  antelope 
which  is  being  protected  by  a  man.  A  star  and  crescent  are  in  the  background  (No. 
1312). 

No.  15.  19  by  1 1  mm.  Shell.  Grave  23.  A  curious  scene  representing  the  figure  of  a  man  in  a 
kind  of  shell-like  case  with  a  forked  staff  in  the  left  hand  and  a  double-pronged 
instnmient  in  the  right.  A  calf  is  represented  in  the  background  with  other  objects 
which  are  indistinct  (No.  1287). 


No. 

2. 

No. 

3- 

No. 

4- 

No. 

5- 

No. 

6, 

No. 

?• 

6a 


REPORT  ON  THE  EXCAVATION  OP  THE  "A"  CEMETERY,  KISH 


No.  i6.  24.5  by  12.5  mm.  Limestone.  Vicinity  of  "N."  Figure  of  a  lion  attacking  a  stag. 
In  front  is  a  design  of  a  coiled  rope,  above  which  are  a  star  and  crescent  and  the 
symbol  of  Ishtar.  A  man  protecting  the  stag  has  an  arrow  in  his  right  hand  and  a 
bow  in  his  left  (No.  1 1 17).    In  Field  Museum, 

No.  17.  28  by  13.5  mm.  Shell.  "A"  cemetery.  Two  registers.  The  upper  register  shows  a 
scene  very  similar  to  that  of  No.  15,  the  only  difference  being  that  the  shell-like  case 
is  here  very  much  like  a  boat.  The  lower  register  is  unusually  interesting.  Two 
figures  are  shown  building  a  ziggurat  and  about  to  place  a  brick  on  the  top  of  it. 
The  ziggurat  has  four  stages  and  panelled  faces.  This  work  is  being  performed  in 
front  of  a  seated  figure  wearing  a  longer  skirt  than  the  rest  of  the  figures.  Three  figures 
in  front  of  the  seated  figure  are  apparently  carrying  mud  or  bricks  on  their  heads  to 
the  ziggurat  workers  (No.  1420).    In  Field  Museum. 

No.  18.  33  by  16  mm.  Shell.  Grave  9.  Two  registers.  In  the  upper  register  are  two  lions 
with  their  bodies  crossed,  each  attacking  an  antelope.  Three  men  in  short  kilts  are 
trjang  to  protect  the  antelopes,  two  of  them  with  bows  and  arrows.  In  the  lower 
register  are  a  long  group  of  figures  in  short  kilts  with  a  priest  performing  a  rite  over 
a  table  or  altar  (No.  994). 

No.  19.  30  by  22  mm.  Bituminous  limestone.  Grave  12.  A  man  in  a  short  kilt  separating 
two  lions  which  stand  on  their  hind  legs.  He  is  holding  the  lions  by  their  throats. 
Farther  on  are  two  male  figures,  one  clasping  a  lion  by  the  throat,  the  other  trjdng 
to  soothe  an  antelope.  These  two  last  figures  appear  to  be  armed  with  daggers.  A 
small  kid  is  also  represented  (No.  1132). 


SEALS  NOT  ILLUSTRATED 

A  number  of  seals  have  not  been  reproduced  owing  to  their  bad  condi- 
tion. Particulars  of  these  are  given  below  under  the  numbers  of  the  burials  in 
which  they  were  found. 


Grave  i 
Grave  4 
Grave  11 
Grave  15 

Grave  16 

Grave  16 

Grave  16 
Grave  19 
Grave  23 
Grave  26 

Grave  32 

Grave  32 

Grave  32 
Grave  34 


26  by  14  mm.    Glaze.    Two  long-homed  antelopes  in  file  (No.  652). 

22  by  13  mm.   Limestone.   Subject  not  clear  (No.  714).    In  Field  Museum. 
32  by  17  mm.    Limestone.    Subject  not  clear  (No.  1062). 

23  by  1 1.5  mm.    Shell.    Two  lions  with  bodies  crossed,  seizing  an  antelope.    Tree 
in  background  (No.  11 74). 

28  by  IS  mm.    Shell.    Apparently  a  scene  of  a  man  standing  by  a  sheaf  of  corn 
(No.  1189a).    In  Field  Museum. 

28  by  IS  mm.   Shell.   Lion  attacking  an  antelope  which  is  being  defended  by  a  man 
(No.  1189b).     In  Field  Museum. 

29.5  by  14  mm.   Shell.   Quite  indistinct  (No.  1189).   In  Field  Museum. 

17.5  by  18.S  mm.    Calcite.   Quite  indistinct  (No.  1262). 

30  by  19  mm.    Shell.   A  seated  deity  can  just  be  made  out  (No.  1294). 

26  by  12.5  mm.    Shell.    A  lion  attacking  an  antelope  which  is  being  protected  by 
a  man  armed  with  bow  and  arrow  (No.  1353). 

20  by  12  mm.    Shell.     Two  long-homed  antelopes  in  file   (No.    1483).     In  Field 
Museum. 

19  by  lo  mm. 
Museum. 


Shell.    Three  long-horned  antelopes  in  file  (No.  1484).     In  Field 


35  by  15.5  mm.   Shell.   Impression  weathered  away  (No.  1485). 

16  by  8.5  nmi.  Lapis  lazuli.  An  animal  figiu-e  can  just  be  made  out,  and  seems 
to  be  that  of  a  long-homed  antelope.  Though  this  seal  was  made  of  hard  stone, 
it  had  been  reduced  to  minute  fragments  by  the  action  of  salt  (No.  15 13). 


CYLINDER   SEALS  6^ 

The  following  seals  come  from  unrecorded  graves  in  the  "A"  cemetery, 
and  are  given  under  their  registration  numbers : — 

No.  1046.  19  by  14  mm.  Limestone.  Unbored.  Scene  of  a  simple  tree,  roughly  carved.  In 
Field  Museum. 

No.  1279.  34  by  iSmm.  Shell.  Scene  of  man  with  feathers  ( ?)  in  his  hair  (cf.  No.  19),  dressed 
in  a  short,  open  kilt,  trying  to  quiet  two  antelopes  who  are  rearing  on  their  hind 
legs.    Eacli  antelope  is  being  attacked  by  a  lion.    In  Field  M  useum. 

The  seals  below  come  from  the  "P"  site,  but  belong  to  the  same  period 
as  the  seals  from  the  "A"  cemetery.  They  are  given  below  under  their  regis- 
tration numbers. 

No.  983.  26  by  15  mm.  Calcite.  Scene  very  similar  to  upper  register  of  No.  17,  but  the 
tail  of  the  shell-like  object  terminates  in  a  human  head.   Other  features  are  indistinct. 

No.  1077.  27  by  i8  mm.  Calcite.  Figure  of  two  antelopes  standing  back  to  back.  The  seated 
figure  above  them  is  dressed  in  a  single  kaimakes.    In  Field  Museum. 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF  NATURAL   HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS,    VOL.    I,    PL. 


Fig.  1.      View  of  "A"'  Cemetery  from  Ziggurat  at  Ingharra  (p   uI. 


B.29 


*f^ 


Pottery  h<p-  »■  -'■  -J-  -^-  -"'• 


J 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF   NATURAL   HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    I,    PL. 


JAR   HANDLES  AND  COPPER   IMPLEMENTS  (|jp,  -'-'.  40,  -|J». 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    I,    PL.    III. 


COPPER   IMPLEMENTS,    INLAY,   AND   PIGMENT  SHELLS  (pp.    ij.  i;.  3S.  3V.  j".  41.  4.0. 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF   NATURAL   HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    I.    PL.    IV. 


TOILET   ARTIC 


LES  AND  JEWELLERY  (pii.  ij.  16.  JS-4S.  Sl-SJl- 


i 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


4NTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS,    VOL.    I.    PL.    V 


BURIALS  (pp.  n.  13.  25.  56). 


i 


FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS.   VOL.    I.    PL.    VI. 


Cylinder  Seals  (pp.  18.59-61). 


FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    I,    PL.   VII. 


e© 


J 


eiE^ 


BEADS  (pp.  19.  53-S7). 
Actual  size. 


§KETCH   PtAN  OF  KiSH  (p.  9). 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS,    VOL.    I,    PL.   VIII. 


0^^       Burial  33 


BURIAL  GROUPS  (p.   13). 


©  0® 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL   HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.   VOL.    I.    PL.    IX. 


HANDLED   POTTERY  (pp.  -M.  -'j.  37). 


I 


FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS.    VOL,    I.    PL.    X. 


POTTERY  TYPE  A  (p.  Jil. 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.    VOL     I.    PL.    XI, 


.i^rFin^ffTrfffn^^vTf&i^irt* 


cz. 


]      (± 


iz: 


mmii  111  ■■■■liimini 


J 


mW 


/5^^<x>o<><>6v 


POTTERY   TYPE    B   (pp.  -•J---;). 
Scale  Kij. 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    I,    PL.    XII 


POTTERY  TYPE  B  (p.  -m). 
Scale  i;i2. 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    1.    PL.   XIII. 


POTTERY  TYPE  C  (p.  -M. 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS.    VOL.    I.    PL.   XIV. 


POTTERY  Types  D,  E,  F  (pp.  29-32). 
Scale  1:12. 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF   NATURAL   HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS,    VOL.    I,    PL.    XV. 


POTTERY  Types  G,  H,  J,  K  (|.p.  jy,  ,t-',«(. 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS.   VOL.    I.    PL.    XVI. 


POTTERY  TYPES   L.    M,    N,    0  (pp.  34-361. 
Scale    i:i.'. 


FIELD   MUSEUM   OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS,   VOL.    I,    PL.    XVII. 


COPPER   IMPLEMENTS  (pp. -'o.  38-40>. 
Scale   1:4. 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS,    VOL.    I,    PL.    XVIII. 


0 


'^ 


(zmz 


Copper  implements  (pp.  ss-ja). 

Sgale  1:4. 


FIELD   MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    MEMOIRS,   VOL.    I,    PL.    XIX. 


ffll 


Q  U. 


Q 


Copper  Hair-pins  (pp.  4j-4?l. 
Scale  1:4. 


i 


FIELD  MUSEUM   OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    MEMOIRS,   VOL.    I.    PL.    XX. 


Copper  Bowls  (pp.  17. 4S-53I. 


